During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking 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 planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, 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.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, keeping your details private if you wish. The stories you tell are secure, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
