In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, 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 head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we want to hear about random meetings that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you wish. Your responses are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
