During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen 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. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition 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 identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you choose. Your responses are confidential, and will only be used the aim of this article.
