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During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there before heading to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, sat down, and began chatting with other diners.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student walked over to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and seek a position. Additionally, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.

Critically, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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