In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
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