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During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.

Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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

From cheering you up to transforming your future, we would love to know unexpected interactions that have left a lasting impression.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you choose. What you share are secure, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.