In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background 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 faculty, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising 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 always appreciative.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you prefer. The stories you tell are confidential, and will only be used the purpose of this feature.
