In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away told 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 declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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