During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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