Acknowledgements
When I was still writing my dissertation, I imagined many times what I would want to say in my acknowledgments. In fact, this imagination gave me a lot of strength to carry on. I would think about the moment when I crossed the final line, how happy everyone would be for me, how proud they would be. This moment.
Perhaps needless to say, the person I would like to thank the most is my supervisor. I would quite literally not be able to be here without your selfless and endless support, both professionally and personally. Us both being strong-minded people, we’ve certainly had our moments. But we’ve shared even more laughter – excitement when we find good results, celebrations for each of my big milestones, and the way you light up when you talk about interesting theories. I’ve never mentioned to you how much I’ve enjoyed these moments and how much they’ve inspired me as a student and as a researcher. I am lucky to have you as my supervisor and to have worked with you for the past four years, and I hope we will keep in touch wherever I go for my next chapter.
I would like to thank my dissertation committee members. I appreciate your time, all your valuable comments throughout the project, and your kind remarks and encouragement. And many thanks to my collaborators. The project would not have been possible without your help. I want to thank all the supporting staff from our department and the university. Your contributions are often behind the scenes, but they are truly appreciated. I thank all the research assistants and undergraduate thesis students from our lab, especially the ones who directly worked with me on this project. I also thank my colleagues, my lab mates, my dearest friends, and my cats. You made this journey much more enjoyable.
My gratitude also goes to the 790 Canadian participants, 914 Chinese participants, and 234 Mexican participants who were part of this project. When I put all the numbers together, you can really see the scale of a doctoral research project and the collective effort that made it possible. Thank you for your time and your contribution to science.
我将我的毕业论文献给我的家人。我的父母，感谢你们对我无条件的支持和一直以来的鼓励。我的奶奶，你从小就教育我女孩也要独立自强，你的话我一直记在心里。(I dedicate my dissertation to my family, who inspired the project: my parents, who have given me unconditional support for my academic career, and my late grandmother, who taught me to pursue greatness and be independent since I was a little girl.)
Last but not least, I would like to thank myself. Pursuing a doctoral degree was among the hardest things I have ever done, so thank you for pushing through until the last minute. Thanks to sweat. Thanks to tears. I will forever cherish this journey.
Congratulations, Dr.
- Samantha, 2025.11.13