In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared 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 – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq 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 attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you choose. What you share are protected, and will only be used the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
