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During the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a travel partner. Since my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had planned a fortnight visit there en route to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the UWS known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with other diners.

Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a science degree and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, 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, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, 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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