During the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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