In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
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