During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
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