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In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.

Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?

Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.

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