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During the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and began chatting with fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I consider applying for a job with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi student walked over to me and let me know 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 went to the meeting – but right away told my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she responded: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for three years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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