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During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my companion was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the canteen, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.

Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I my profession was, and I shared 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 electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his full name, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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