In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we would love to know chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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