In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering 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. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have stuck with you.
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