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During the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had planned a two-week stay 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 made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.

I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.

I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, 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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