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In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.

Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He noted that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq walked over to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.

Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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