During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Tell us about the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we would love to know chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
We invite you to tell us if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you prefer. What you share are secure, and will only be used the aim of this article.
