During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying 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, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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