During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Shown for You?
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