In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired 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 research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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