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During the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my friend was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there en route to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side called International House. After dropping our bags, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to fellow residents.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my interviewer that I was without a work permit, so I was unable to accept the role.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. 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 also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or nerve to reach out at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.

What's more, that gig at Columbia paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person redirected my path in life, and I’m eternally thankful.

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