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During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.

Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, 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 the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview 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 informed my prospective employer 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: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a postgrad program in international relations.

I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.

Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.

Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Shown for You?

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