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In the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.

Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Can you recall the Nicest Thing a Unknown Person Has Shown for You?

Whether it's making your day to altering your path, we are interested in chance encounters that have remained in your memory.

We invite you to tell us if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you prefer. The stories you tell are confidential, and are intended for the purpose of this feature.