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In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq 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 made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.

I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?

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