In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering 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 gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you wish. The stories you tell are secure, and are solely for the aim of this article.
