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

We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice 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 engaged in conversation with fellow residents.

Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.

I worked 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 postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.

Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Unknown Person Has Ever Done for You?

From cheering you up to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are an adult, anonymously if you prefer. The stories you tell are protected, and are intended for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.