During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to transforming your future, we would love to know chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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