During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have stuck with you.
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