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During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.

What's more, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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

Whether it's cheering you up to changing your life, we want to hear about random meetings that have left a lasting impression.

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