🔗 Share this article

During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Tell us about the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?

Whether it's making your day to transforming your future, we would love to know chance encounters that have stuck with you.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you prefer. What you share are confidential, and are solely for the aim of this article.