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Back in 2006, My journey took me to Canberra for an interview at a medical college. I figured I would book a place to stay after getting there, however once I got there, a large conference was happening and every single backpackers hostels and cheap hotels had no vacancies.

As a visitor from Singapore, I thought the possibility of just sleep at the airport – only to discover Canberra airport, not like the one back home, closes all night. Not knowing what my next move should be and growing worried, I hopped on a city-bound bus and started wandering towards the casino, believing I might spend those hours in an establishment that was open all night. That wouldn’t put me in the ideal condition to succeed at the admissions interview the next day, however, being a student on a tight budget, a pricey hotel was out of reach.

The world needs more individuals like that woman.

I must have looked confused because a young woman saw me walking aimlessly through downtown and asked if I was OK. I shared the story of my accommodation crisis and immediately she suggested I could crash on a spare mattress in her student dorm at the local university – an ideal turn of events, as that’s where my medical school interview was scheduled for the next day. She went further by offering me some free dinner: one of the stuffed baguettes she had taken home her work shift. I was able to use warm shower facilities and somewhere safe to rest to spend the night.

Looking back, it’s clear to me the significant risk she undertook being a woman allowing a man who was a complete stranger crash at her place. Back then I existed within a bubble of male privilege and did not consider to the potential danger. Now, as a father, I am astonished she offered that help – yet very grateful.

I never did study at the Australian National University, and I never saw the student afterwards, but her act remains etched in my mind her selfless deed of human compassion. My sincere desire is that the universe has rewarded her act of kindness abundantly. The world needs more folks like that woman.