In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
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 amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Tell us about the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Please share your story if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you prefer. The stories you tell are secure, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
