During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, 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 my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, keeping your details private if you prefer. The stories you tell are secure, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.
