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In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.

Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The man from Iraq came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but right away informed my host that I didn’t have a visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where opportunities abound – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.

I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I can't recall his full name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

Critically, that gig at Columbia led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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