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During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to Europe with a friend. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the UWS called International House. Once we unpacked, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.

Sitting next to me was an gentleman from Iraq pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did for a living, and I shared that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at the university – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He suggested that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student walked over to me and let me know that he had set up a meeting for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I was granted complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the confidence or nerve to approach someone at an elite institution and seek a position. Additionally, I had long dreamed to pursue education overseas, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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