During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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