In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we would love to know chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you choose. The stories you tell are secure, and will only be used the purpose of this feature.
