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In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a large 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and began chatting with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately told my host 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 responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that gig at Columbia led me to a role in Europe where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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