In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “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 free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to changing your life, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, anonymously if you choose. Your responses are secure, and are solely for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
