During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have stuck with you.
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