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In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a friend. Since my friend was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that evening. The man from Iraq walked over to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my interviewer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I held that position for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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