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During the year 2006, I traveled to Canberra for an interview at a medical college. My plan was to arrange lodging after getting there, yet when I arrived, a big convention was happening and every single youth hostels and budget accommodation had no vacancies.

Coming from the city-state of Singapore, I considered maybe I could bed down in the terminal – but quickly found the local airport, unlike Singapore’s, closes all night. Not knowing quite what to do and growing worried, I caught public transport and found myself drifting towards a gaming venue, believing it was a place to spend the night in an establishment that was open all night. That wouldn’t put me at my peak for acing a crucial interview the next morning, however, being a broke student, I couldn’t afford.

The world needs more individuals with such compassion.

Apparently, I appeared out of place because a female student saw me loitering in the city and wondered if I was OK. I explained the story of my accommodation crisis and right away she said I could sleep on the ground of her dormitory at the Australian National University – an ideal turn of events, as that’s where the important interview would take place the next morning. She even offered a meal: one of the filled rolls she had taken home her evening job. I had access to warm shower facilities and somewhere safe and secure for the evening.

With hindsight, I now understand what a big chance she undertook as a young woman letting a man she’d just met sleep on her floor. In those days I existed within a bubble of male privilege and was oblivious to such safety concerns. Now, as a father, I’m amazed she took that chance – yet very grateful.

I didn’t end up study at the Australian National University, and I never saw that kind stranger again, but her act remains etched in my mind her amazing act of human compassion. My sincere desire is that life has repaid her good deed many times over. The world needs more individuals who show such kindness.