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In the closing decade of the 80s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in the Big Apple, we had planned a two-week stay there en route to London.

We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the canteen, where we grabbed food, found a table, and started talking to other diners.

Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin studying engineering at Columbia University. He inquired what I did for a living, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He suggested that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, explaining that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.

A day later I toured the city, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The Iraqi student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the leader of the research team at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but straight off explained to my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was probably wasting her time.

In typical New York fashion – a city where anything feels possible – she responded: “We'll handle it. What's your start date?” I never got on that flight to London.

I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a master’s of international affairs.

We didn't cross paths after that and I am unaware of his identity, but his selfless gesture changed my life in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to approach someone at an Ivy League university and seek a position. And, I had consistently hoped to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I now have a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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