🔗 Share this article

In the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.

Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job 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 toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.

I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.

Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?

From cheering you up to transforming your future, we want to hear about random meetings that have remained in your memory.

Please share your story if you are an adult, keeping your details private if you choose. What you share are protected, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.