In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.
Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.
What's more, that role at the university 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. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
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