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In the closing decade of the 80s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a companion. Since my companion was interested in pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, found a table, and started talking to fellow residents.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a science degree and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent 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, more critically, I didn’t have a US visa.

The following day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but right away explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she said: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.

I held that position for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I got free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his identity, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I got to know my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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