During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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