During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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