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During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.

Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student 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. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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

Whether it's brightening your mood to changing your life, we are interested in chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.

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