In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got 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 lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are of legal age, keeping your details private if you wish. The stories you tell are secure, and are intended for the aim of this article.
