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During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.

Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness changed my life in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. 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 Ever Done for You?

Whether it's cheering you up to transforming your future, we are interested in chance encounters that have stuck with you.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you wish. The stories you tell are protected, and are solely for the goal of sharing inspiring stories.