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In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a 14-day stopover there before heading to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a large ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – adjacent to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I should apply for a position with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The man from Iraq walked over 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 gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.

I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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