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In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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

From brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in random meetings that have remained in your memory.

We invite you to tell us if you are an adult, without revealing your identity if you wish. The stories you tell are protected, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.