During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, keeping your details private if you wish. The stories you tell are protected, and will only be used the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
