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During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door 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 dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Once Performed for You?

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