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In the late 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Since my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We got to the postgrad residence, a large 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He inquired what I my profession was, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an microscopy facility at the university – right next door to the engineering department, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off informed my host 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 declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I held that position for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in so many ways. I would never have had the confidence or self-belief to contact anyone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that job in New York led me to a position in Switzerland where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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