During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted 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 consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him 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, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we would love to know random meetings that have stuck with you.
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