In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Shown for You?
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