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During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – adjacent 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 dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

Critically, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

What is the Most Generous Act a Stranger Has Ever Done for You?

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