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During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Someone You Didn't Know Has Ever Done for You?

From cheering you up to changing your life, we would love to know chance encounters that have left a lasting impression.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you choose. What you share are protected, and are solely for the purpose of this feature.