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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 friend. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there en route to London.

We reached the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

Critically, that role at the university paved the way for a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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

Whether it's making your day to changing your life, we are interested in unexpected interactions that have remained in your memory.

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