My Last Letter to Sally
Dear Sally,
I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for me as my Ph.D. supervisor. I hope you know how much I’m influenced by your work and our conversations. I know I’ve expressed this before, but I want to make sure you realize how much I looked forward to our conversations in seminar, our talks preparing for my specialization exam, and all our meetings in general. This entire doctoral journey has been exciting for me because you are an amazing mentor who pushed me to recognize gaps within my knowledge in a fun and engaging way. Every discussion and feedback were intellectually challenging and I would want to learn more about the points you mentioned, i.e., there was always a "Wow! I never thought about it like that" moment, which would inspire me to read and learn more. I know you have inspired many scholars, but I want you to know how much you’ve inspired me, not just as an academic, but also as a mentor. Not everyone can make students feel this driven and excited about a project and I have you to thank for it.
Sally, thank you for showing me so much kindness! Your mentorship taught me a lot of lessons that go beyond academia; I’m very appreciative of that. Those little moments changed my worldview and approach to life. You saw potential in my project the very first time I mentioned it to you and encouraged me from day one; I can't express how much that means to me. I know that you didn’t have to take time off your busy schedule to constantly provide feedback and advice, so please know that I’m grateful to you for that.
I’ll hold close the lessons you’ve taught me and promise I will try my best to make you proud. Thank you for everything! I can't articulate how much your mentorship means to me and how much I admire and respect you.
Love,
Salwa