During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close 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, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?
Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we want to hear about chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you choose. Your responses are confidential, and are solely for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.
