During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
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