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In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Once Performed for You?

Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.

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