In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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