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In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Since my friend was interested in enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.

Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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

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