During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, keeping your details private if you prefer. The stories you tell are secure, and will only be used the purpose of this feature.
