In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.
We invite you to tell us if you are an adult, anonymously if you prefer. The stories you tell are protected, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.
