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Back in the year 2006, I traveled to Canberra for a medical school interview. My plan was to arrange accommodation upon arrival, however once I got there, a big convention was happening and all the budget hostels and affordable lodging were completely sold out.

Coming from Singapore, I considered maybe I could just sleep at the terminal – but soon learned the local airport, not like the one back home, does not operate around the clock. Unsure of how to proceed and feeling increasingly desperate, I caught a bus into town and found myself drifting towards the casino, thinking I might spend the night in an establishment that was open 24/7. Admittedly, this plan in the best shape to succeed at a crucial interview the following day, but as a student on a tight budget, luxury accommodation was impossible.

Our society requires more folks with such compassion.

It seems I seemed out of place since a young woman noticed me wandering around the city center and asked whether I needed help. I recounted my situation and right away she said I could sleep on the floor in her student dorm at ANU – an ideal turn of events, considering that was where my interview was scheduled for the next day. She even offered a meal: one of the stuffed baguettes she brought back her evening job. I was able to use the bathroom and a protected spot and safe for the evening.

Looking back, I can appreciate the significant risk she accepted as a young woman allowing a guy she’d just met stay in her room. Back then I existed within a bubble of male privilege and was oblivious to the potential danger. Today, as a parent, I am astonished she did that – yet incredibly thankful.

I didn’t end up study at that university, and I never saw her again, yet her memory has stayed with me her amazing act of generosity. My sincere desire is that karma has returned her act of kindness tenfold. The world needs more individuals like that woman.