During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you prefer. What you share are confidential, and are solely for the aim of this article.
