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In the closing decade of the 80s, I was beginning a backpacking trip to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the UWS called International House. After dropping our bags, we went directly to the canteen, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.

Beside me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did, and I told him that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been working on studies with electron microscopy.

He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at Columbia University – adjacent to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I consider applying for a job with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, even more importantly, I lacked a US visa.

The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that night. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I showed up for the discussion – but right away explained to my host that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We'll handle it. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for three years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to earn a postgrad program in international relations.

We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity altered my destiny in multiple respects. I would never have had the courage or nerve to reach out at an elite institution and seek a position. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that gig at Columbia led me to a job in Zurich where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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