The Compassion of People We Don't Know: The Way a Gentleman I Had Just Met Supported Me Land the Position That Changed My Life

During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.

I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.

Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?

From making your day to altering your path, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.

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