In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, 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, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, 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, without revealing your identity if you prefer. Your responses are protected, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
