In the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to transforming your future, we want to hear about chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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