During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Tell us about the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we want to hear about chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you wish. Your responses are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
