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During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Critically, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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

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