In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?
From cheering you up to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.
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