🔗 Share this article

During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.

Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance 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 selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?

From brightening your mood to changing your life, we want to hear about unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.

We invite you to tell us if you are of legal age, anonymously if you prefer. The stories you tell are protected, and will only be used the goal of sharing inspiring stories.