In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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