In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out 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 consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish 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 multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we want to hear about random meetings that have stuck with you.
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