During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we would love to know chance encounters that have stuck with you.
We invite you to tell us if you are of legal age, keeping your details private if you wish. The stories you tell are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
