During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Shown for You?
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