In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a place 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. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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 are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.
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