In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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