During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual 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?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
We invite you to tell us if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you wish. What you share are secure, and will only be used the purpose of this feature.
