In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.
A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?
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