During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, 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 shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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