During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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