During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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