In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended 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.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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