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In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was exploring pursuing a master’s degree in NYC, we had booked a two-week stay there en route to London.

We arrived at the student accommodation, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Upper West Side called International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we picked up meals, sat down, and started talking to fellow residents.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He pointed out that there was an microscopy facility at Columbia University – close to the school of engineering, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The man from Iraq approached me and told me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but straight off told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a place where anything feels possible – she declared: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for 36 months. One of the benefits was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in so many ways. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to reach out at an elite institution and ask for a job. 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 gig at Columbia paved the way for a role in Europe where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That helpful person changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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