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During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.

Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.

What is the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?

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