In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer 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'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
We invite you to tell us if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you prefer. What you share are protected, and will only be used the purpose of this feature.
