In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish 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 numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you wish. Your responses are confidential, and will only be used the aim of this article.
