During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
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