During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” 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.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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