During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have stuck with you.
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