During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
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