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In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a low-cost journey to the European continent with a travel partner. Since my travel mate was considering starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there before heading to London.

We got to the graduate housing, a big multi-story edifice on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we made our way to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.

Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did, and I told him that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.

He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the university – close to the engineering faculty, which was why he was aware of it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I dismissed the idea, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I did not possess a US visa.

The following day I ventured out, returning to the canteen that evening. 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 made the arrangement, I went to the meeting – but straight off told my interviewer that I didn’t have a visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.

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

I was employed there for three years. An advantage of the role was that I was granted no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a postgrad program in international relations.

I never saw that student again and I don’t even know his name, but his selfless gesture changed my life in so many ways. I didn't possess the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that tuition waiver.

Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I encountered my wonderful partner, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That helpful person set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.

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