In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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