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In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Tell us about the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?

From making your day to altering your path, we would love to know random meetings that have left a lasting impression.

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