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During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called 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 people eating there.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I worked there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Critically, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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