During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you prefer. Your responses are confidential, and are solely for the aim of this article.
