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During the late 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He noted that there was an research lab at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

What's more, that job in New York resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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