In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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