During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq came up to 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 made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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