In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out 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 ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. 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 free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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From making your day to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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