During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, anonymously if you wish. What you share are protected, and will only be used the aim of this article.
