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In the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a friend. Because my travel mate was considering pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been performing experiments with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I consider applying for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I was employed there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.

I lost touch with him and I can't recall his full name, but his selfless gesture altered my destiny in multiple respects. I lacked the courage or self-assurance to contact anyone at an elite institution and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.

Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I got to know my beautiful French husband, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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