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During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, took a seat, and began chatting with fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. What's your start date?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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