During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger 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 remained in your memory.
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