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In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.

Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a place where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

Can you recall the Kindest Gesture a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?

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