During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.
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