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During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a 14-day stopover there en route to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. Additionally, I had always wanted to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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