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During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.

Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Critically, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?

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