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In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there before heading to London.

We got to the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for three years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Critically, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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