During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
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