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During the final years of the 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my friend was considering enrolling in graduate studies in the Big Apple, we had booked a 14-day stopover there on the way to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a big 10-storey building on the UWS named International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, sat down, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

A day later I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that night. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Since he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

As is common in NYC – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.

I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I was granted free tuition at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a master’s of international affairs.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the confidence or self-assurance to contact anyone at an Ivy League university and ask for a job. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a role in Europe where I met my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share four amazing children. That encounter altered everything. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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