During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached 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 went to the meeting – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we would love to know random meetings that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you wish. Your responses are protected, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
