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During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a companion. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in multiple respects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to contact anyone at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Critically, that gig at Columbia resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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