In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job 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, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
From brightening your mood to changing your life, we would love to know chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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