In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview 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 immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
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