In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. 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 cheering you up to transforming your future, we would love to know random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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