During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat 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 told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?
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