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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 companion. Because my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.

Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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

From brightening your mood to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.

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