In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student came up to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to altering your path, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
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