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During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately told my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for three years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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