During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you prefer. The stories you tell are secure, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
