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During the late 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I held that position for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Moreover, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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

Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.

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