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During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.

Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, 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 Nicest Thing a Someone You Didn't Know Has Once Performed for You?

From cheering you up to altering your path, we would love to know chance encounters that have stuck with you.

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