During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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