In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, 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 eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you prefer. What you share are confidential, and are solely for the aim of this article.
