In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you prefer. The stories you tell are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
