To celebrate his friend’s birthday, Luke Fortune drove from a small town in Central Oregon to Portland, where he parked his car in a paid garage overnight. The next morning, he discovered that the car’s window had been smashed, along with his dreams for the future: His backpack and computer were gone.

“Everything important to me was on that computer,” said Fortune, 21, who is studying to become a paramedic.

Two days after the theft, another young man was standing outside his apartment, also in Portland. Masoud Almazrouei, 29, was an exchange student from the United Arab Emirates. He had been approached by a man who said he had a computer for sale. Only $200. Almazrouei, who had been in the United States for only a year, admits now that he was naïve. But he needed a computer so he bought it, took it home, and turned it on. Within seconds, he saw files and photographs.

“I wondered who would sell a computer with all of this on it,” he said. “I realized it could be stolen.” Almazrouei found what appeared to be the owner’s cell phone number and called it.

Fortune didn’t trust this guy with a thick accent and thought it was a scam.

Soon after, a police officer called Fortune to say that a man had dropped the computer off and had said he was sorry. He passed along the man’s number.

Fortune called and thanked Almazrouei and insisted on paying him a reward of $200, the money he was out. Almazrouei refused. He said it was his mistake to buy the computer from someone he didn’t know. More important, he said, it was his honor and duty as a Muslim to return the property to the rightful owner. “I saw a photo of this man in his paramedic uniform,” Almazrouei said. “They help people. He is a good man. I don’t want my money back.”

Still, the encounter produced its own kind of rewards. For Fortune, it was a lesson in cultural awareness amid the sometimes bitter national debate about immigrants, especially from the Arab world. “I’m from a small mainly white town,” Fortune said. “I’ve never met a Muslim. He’s a good man.”

Almazrouei’s lesson was perhaps more complex. When a story about the two young men’s encounter made it to the local papers, Almazrouei received a call from Wim Wiewel, the president of Portland State University, where Almazrouei is studying economics.

“We thought since you gave back the laptop, we should give you a laptop so that you’ll have one,” Wiewel told him. “We’re very proud of you. It was a great story, but you did the right thing.”

I grew up in New York my whole life. I studied in a perfect college that happened only to be an hour away from home. Then, about three weeks before the spring term was over, my parents told me we were moving to Arizona that summer. They asked me if I was going to transfer (转学) to another college. I said no. I was not going to change everything in my life at one time and I loved my college and all the amazing things I was doing there. It was my second home; I would not leave everything I knew at the same time since that was asking for trouble.

I never imagined it would be this hard but, at the same time, the best thing that could have happened to me.

When out in Arizona, life was hard. I didn't know anyone other than my family and friends. I couldn’t bear the extreme heat. But it has helped me so much. I have started working on my writing. I also have time to work out in the gym. It has helped me realize that no matter where you are or who you know you can always find something that you enjoy.

When back at school in New York, it was hard as well. Living close to home was my security blanket. If something was wrong I could get in my car and drive home and see my family. After my family moved to another city, I lacked security and was always controlled by anxiety. However, it helped me learn independence and forced me to be brave.

I' m so thankful that I didn't transfer to a different school, which has given me the opportunity to go back and see best friends in my hometown. A year ago, I officially left my hometown for good. It has helped me grow and I am so thankful that I have had this experience. Now, when I graduate from college, I can go anywhere I want. I am no longer afraid to go out on my own into the world. The world is full of opportunities and pleasure and I can' t wait to see where I will be next.