During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the canteen, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting 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 explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college 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 job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
From making your day to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you prefer. The stories you tell are protected, and are solely for the aim of this article.
