In the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve 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 lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
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