During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. 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 paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to transforming your future, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you choose. The stories you tell are protected, and will only be used the aim of this article.
