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In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

What's more, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.

Tell us about the Kindest Gesture a Stranger Has Shown for You?

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