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During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We arrived at the postgrad residence, a big ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.

Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student walked over to me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.

I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture changed my life 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 always wanted to pursue education overseas, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York paved the way for a role in Europe where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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