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During the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, 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 dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.

Beside me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

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

I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?

Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we would love to know chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.

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