In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
From cheering you up to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, keeping your details private if you prefer. What you share are confidential, and are intended for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
