During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we would love to know chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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