In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we would love to know random meetings that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you wish. What you share are confidential, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
