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During the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to other diners.

Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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

Whether it's cheering you up to altering your path, we are interested in random meetings that have left a lasting impression.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you choose. What you share are secure, and will only be used the purpose of this feature.