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During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for three years. A perk of the job 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 multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

What's more, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.

Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Shown for You?

Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.

We invite you to tell us if you are an adult, keeping your details private if you wish. The stories you tell are secure, and are solely for the aim of this article.