In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about chance encounters that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, keeping your details private if you choose. The stories you tell are protected, and will only be used the purpose of this feature.
