During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we would love to know chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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