During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering 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. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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