During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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