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During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Critically, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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

From making your day to transforming your future, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.

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