In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we would love to know random meetings that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you choose. What you share are secure, and are solely for the aim of this article.
