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During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my travel mate was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.

We reached the graduate housing, a big ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we picked up meals, took a seat, and started talking to other diners.

Adjacent to my seat was an individual of Iraqi origin pursuing an engineering degree at Columbia University. He asked me what I did for a living, and I explained that I had just graduated with a degree in science and had been performing experiments involving microscopic analysis.

He noted that there was an research lab at the university – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He recommended that I ought to seek a role with them. I laughed it off, telling him that I was heading off to Europe and, additionally, I didn’t have a US visa.

The next day I toured the city, returning to the canteen that night. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Given that 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.

Reflecting the city's spirit – a metropolis where opportunities abound – she responded: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I didn't board the aircraft to London.

I worked there for 36 months. A perk of the job was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.

I lost touch with him and I am unaware of his full name, but his selfless gesture transformed my future in numerous aspects. I didn't possess the bravery or nerve to approach someone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I encountered my beautiful French husband, with whom I currently share four amazing children. It was a total sliding doors moment. That kind stranger redirected my path in life, and I’m always appreciative.

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