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In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with fellow residents.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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