During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you wish. What you share are protected, and are solely for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
