In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance 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 changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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