In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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