In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “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 no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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