During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have 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 Ever Done for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, without revealing your identity if you choose. Your responses are confidential, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
