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During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

Critically, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

What is the Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?

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