During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to transforming your future, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you wish. The stories you tell are confidential, and will only be used the aim of this article.
