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In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.

We reached the postgrad residence, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

As is common in NYC – a city where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Moreover, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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