In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we want to hear about chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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