During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we want to hear about chance encounters that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you wish. The stories you tell are confidential, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
