In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person set me on a different course 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 transforming your future, we want to hear about random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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