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During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering enrolling in graduate studies in NYC, we had arranged a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.

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 told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Critically, that role at the university resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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