During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached 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 made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Please share your story if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you wish. Your responses are protected, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
