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In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. 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 was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

What is the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?

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