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During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory 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?

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