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In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Because my friend was exploring starting a postgraduate program in NYC, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side named International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the cafeteria, where we got some food, found a table, and started talking to people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man pursuing an engineering degree at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I my profession was, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He noted that there was an microscopy facility at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The engineering student approached me and told me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but right away informed my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where everything seems achievable – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I held that position for three years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I took advantage to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I never saw that student again and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the bravery or self-assurance to reach out at an Ivy League university and request employment. Moreover, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university resulted in a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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