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In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.

Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since 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 unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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

From making your day to changing your life, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have stuck with you.

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 purpose of this feature.