During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to transforming your future, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you wish. The stories you tell are confidential, and will only be used the purpose of this feature.
