In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
We invite you to tell us if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you choose. The stories you tell are confidential, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
