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During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had arranged a fortnight visit there before heading to London.

We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.

Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – right next door to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I ought to seek a job with them. I dismissed the idea, saying that I was heading off to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, returning to the canteen that after dark. The Iraqi 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. Because he had made the arrangement, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.

As is common in NYC – a place where everything seems achievable – she declared: “We'll handle it. When can you start?” I never got on that flight to London.

I was employed there for 36 months. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but could never have afforded it without that tuition waiver.

What's more, that job in New York led me to a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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