During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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