During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia 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 performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you prefer. What you share are confidential, and are intended for the aim of this article.
