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During the late 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a big ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.

Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an research lab at the institution – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but right away informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I held that position for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I got complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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