During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane 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 complete a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.
Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?
Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we would love to know random meetings that have stuck with you.
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