In the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Since my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.
Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.
He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.
The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” 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 took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
What's more, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.
Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?
From brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.
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