In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
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