🔗 Share this article

In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

In typical New York fashion – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?

Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in random meetings that have stuck with you.

Please share your story if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you choose. What you share are confidential, and will only be used the purpose of this feature.