In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining 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, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete 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 so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we want to hear about chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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