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In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had planned a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and began chatting with other diners.

Beside me was an gentleman from Iraq studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I my profession was, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a science degree and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a position with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I did not possess a US visa.

The next day I went out exploring, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and let me know that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” 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 free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I can't recall his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to approach someone at an elite institution and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

Critically, that role at the university resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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