During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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