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In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there en route to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq 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 right away informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

In typical New York fashion – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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