During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising 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 eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, anonymously if you prefer. Your responses are secure, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
