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In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there en route to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

What is the Nicest Thing a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?

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