During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you choose. The stories you tell are protected, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
