The Real Thesis Acknowledgements I Wanted to Write But Couldn’t

Disclaimer: I may have shed a few tears while writing this

Hana Makhlouf
5 min readJul 24, 2021
My friends and I’s shadows (Image by Author)

Rule 19 of the 40 Rules of Love: ‘Fret not where the road will take you. Instead concentrate on the first step. That is the hardest part and that is what you are responsible for. Once you take that step let everything do what it naturally does and the rest will follow. Don’t go with the flow. Be the flow.’

I couldn’t summarise a degree’s worth of thank-yous into a paragraph of acknowledgements so here it is:

Firstly, I want to thank God for giving me the strength to complete this project and produce this piece of work. Thank you for getting me through the stress, moving back in with my family mid-year, the second wave of Covid-19, a full lockdown, the panic attacks that resurfaced, the academic obstacles– all while having to finish a Masters project. Thank you. Alhamdullilah.

I want to thank my parents. I want to thank my mother, who completed a PhD while raising 2 young daughters and just goes about her life quietly and peacefully. You are too humble. I will brag on your behalf. You are my hero, my role model and my heart in human form. I think about all the sacrifices you have done for Sara and I and I just cannot put into words what you mean to me. I know that…

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Hana Makhlouf

Software engineer by day. Passionate about everything tech, reading and self-development👩🏽‍💻