In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone 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 tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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