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During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.

We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.

Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?

From cheering you up to transforming your future, we want to hear about random meetings that have remained in your memory.

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