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In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had just graduated with a scientific background and had been conducting research with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.

What's more, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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