In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, 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 eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, anonymously if you wish. Your responses are confidential, and are intended for the aim of this article.
