🔗 Share this article

In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated 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 – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.

Critically, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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

Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we want to hear about chance encounters that have remained in your memory.

We invite you to tell us if you are an adult, keeping your details private if you prefer. What you share are secure, and are intended for the aim of this article.