🔗 Share this article

In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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

From brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.

Please share your story if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you wish. The stories you tell are secure, and will only be used the goal of sharing inspiring stories.