During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “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 free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we want to hear about chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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