In the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.
We reached the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.
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