During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.
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