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During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – 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 worked there for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had always wanted to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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