During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student approached 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 gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we want to hear about chance encounters that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you wish. What you share are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
