During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, 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 inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role 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.
A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. 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. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
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