During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining 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 after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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