In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions 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. The stories you tell are secure, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
