The Generosity of People We Don't Know: How a Man I Barely Knew Assisted Me Land the Role That Transformed My Existence

In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

What is the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?

From brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have stuck with you.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you prefer. What you share are secure, and are intended for the aim of this article.