During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
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