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During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my friend was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there en route to London.

We reached the student accommodation, a large multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.

Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying 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.

A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The engineering student walked over to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but immediately told my prospective employer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to earn a graduate degree in global studies.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.

Critically, that role at the university led me to a position in Switzerland where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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