In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we want to hear about chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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