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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 travel partner. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We got to the postgrad residence, a big 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

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

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone 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 tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

Can you recall the Most Generous Act a Unknown Person 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.

Feel free to recount your experience if you are 18 or over, without revealing your identity if you choose. Your responses are protected, and are intended for the aim of this article.