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During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.

We got to the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.

I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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

From cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.

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