During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because 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 reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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 an adult, anonymously if you prefer. Your responses are protected, and will only be used the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
