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During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a companion. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the dining hall, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an research lab at the institution – close to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I consider applying for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student walked over to me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or self-assurance to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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