🔗 Share this article

In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We got to the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.

Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

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 consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.

Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?

Whether it's brightening your mood to transforming your future, we want to hear about chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.

We invite you to tell us if you are 18 or over, keeping your details private if you wish. What you share are secure, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.