During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree 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 the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
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