In the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have stuck with you.
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