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In the late 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.

Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, 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 forever grateful.

Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?

From brightening your mood to altering your path, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.

Please share your story if you are an adult, anonymously if you prefer. What you share are secure, and are solely for the aim of this article.