In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice 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, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. 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 Once Performed for You?
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