In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable 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 picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. 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. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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From brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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