During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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