Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 12193
Submitted: August 16, 2024 at 11:19:42 PM
First Name: kanisha
Last Name: sritharan
Pronoun: she/her
Student Number: 20181648
Email: 19ks12@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: POLS
Level of Study: 4
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,
My name is Kanisha Sritharan (20181648), and I am writing this letter to petition my requirement to withdraw for a year.
As someone who has been dealing with severe chronic depression and anxiety the past semester has been extremely tough to deal with. At around the third week of the semester, I was informed that my sister had to undergo a major heart procedure for a second time, after we had almost lost her from the first surgery. Finding out this news led my severe anxiety to worsen and left me unable to concentrate as I was not adequately, sleeping and eating as my anxiety started affecting me physically as well. Another major factor was the loss of a friend around week 4 of the semester that left me in a complete state of shock, unable to process the grief. Furthermore, as someone who has just started to recover from self harm, this incident caused me to completely relapse again and being to harm myself (cutting) while also dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts which left me in a state in which I was unable to focus on my academics to my fullest potential. I also started to face racism around the campus; being called the n-word on multiple occasions specifically around the first residences when walking back from classes primarily around the evening hours. This left me in a state of shock but also my anxiety started to become overwhelming as a woman of colour who has faced sexual assault during my first year and I began to fear I may get hurt again. This anxiety left in a position where I began to fear and become paranoid even going out of my home. At the very end of the semester, I required a surgery that was mentally and physically draining that left me in a state in which I became almost bedridden due to the severe depression it left me in. I was all alone for this procedure without any support and felt extremely isolated, worsening my thoughts of self harm. Finally, as a south Asian woman, I come from a conservative background where mental health is typically not believed in or shamed upon therefore, coming out of this state of guilt and shame was very difficult and did not allow me to seek the proper counselling I required until about June.
I want to assure you that I have and am receiving the care I need and have created a plan for my health, academics and overall future that will help with my success. I am truly motivated right now and I can guarantee that I have finally the resources, support, and a proper plan needed to complete the requirements for my degree. I have worked on creating realistic goals to achieve my educational goals with my psychotherapist and am also working with my doctor to create a medication plan that also works for me. I am checking in with my support group and family members to make sure I do not relapse into self harm as I just achieved the longest period of time, I have been free of any form of self harm. My family has also been extremely supportive, and we are making progress in changing their perspective on mental health and have financially began supporting me in receiving the therapy I need as of June which was a huge factor I struggled with previously. Most importantly I have been focusing on tasks ahead as a way coping with my depression and anxiety in a healthy manner with the health of medical professionals.
This chance will allow me to change my life for the better and truly step out of these depressive and anxious episodes that have affecting me so deeply that it has left me questioning if my own life was worth living several times. I am confident that this chance will help me change my life for the better as I truly do want to live to my full potential. Below, I have listed my academic plan with changes I have made to make it more realistic to achieve my goals. I truly thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing back.
Kanisha Sritharan
My name is Kanisha Sritharan (20181648), and I am writing this letter to petition my requirement to withdraw for a year.
As someone who has been dealing with severe chronic depression and anxiety the past semester has been extremely tough to deal with. At around the third week of the semester, I was informed that my sister had to undergo a major heart procedure for a second time, after we had almost lost her from the first surgery. Finding out this news led my severe anxiety to worsen and left me unable to concentrate as I was not adequately, sleeping and eating as my anxiety started affecting me physically as well. Another major factor was the loss of a friend around week 4 of the semester that left me in a complete state of shock, unable to process the grief. Furthermore, as someone who has just started to recover from self harm, this incident caused me to completely relapse again and being to harm myself (cutting) while also dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts which left me in a state in which I was unable to focus on my academics to my fullest potential. I also started to face racism around the campus; being called the n-word on multiple occasions specifically around the first residences when walking back from classes primarily around the evening hours. This left me in a state of shock but also my anxiety started to become overwhelming as a woman of colour who has faced sexual assault during my first year and I began to fear I may get hurt again. This anxiety left in a position where I began to fear and become paranoid even going out of my home. At the very end of the semester, I required a surgery that was mentally and physically draining that left me in a state in which I became almost bedridden due to the severe depression it left me in. I was all alone for this procedure without any support and felt extremely isolated, worsening my thoughts of self harm. Finally, as a south Asian woman, I come from a conservative background where mental health is typically not believed in or shamed upon therefore, coming out of this state of guilt and shame was very difficult and did not allow me to seek the proper counselling I required until about June.
I want to assure you that I have and am receiving the care I need and have created a plan for my health, academics and overall future that will help with my success. I am truly motivated right now and I can guarantee that I have finally the resources, support, and a proper plan needed to complete the requirements for my degree. I have worked on creating realistic goals to achieve my educational goals with my psychotherapist and am also working with my doctor to create a medication plan that also works for me. I am checking in with my support group and family members to make sure I do not relapse into self harm as I just achieved the longest period of time, I have been free of any form of self harm. My family has also been extremely supportive, and we are making progress in changing their perspective on mental health and have financially began supporting me in receiving the therapy I need as of June which was a huge factor I struggled with previously. Most importantly I have been focusing on tasks ahead as a way coping with my depression and anxiety in a healthy manner with the health of medical professionals.
This chance will allow me to change my life for the better and truly step out of these depressive and anxious episodes that have affecting me so deeply that it has left me questioning if my own life was worth living several times. I am confident that this chance will help me change my life for the better as I truly do want to live to my full potential. Below, I have listed my academic plan with changes I have made to make it more realistic to achieve my goals. I truly thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing back.
Kanisha Sritharan
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: If my petition is granted, I have several steps I will be taking to ensure my success. I have already changed my major recently from a Bachelors of Arts Honors to general to lighten up the requirements. This way I have already completed all my requirements for my POLS major and have to complete around a semester worth of courses to meet my Bachelor of Art’s requirements.
I have set up regular visits with my therapist, especially now that I have the financial support required to afford one and will be meeting on a weekly basis to ensure I am making the required progress in my courses. I will be on my required medication to help with my depression and anxiety to prevent it from becoming so debilitating and will be consulting and have been consulting with my doctor at an almost monthly basis to make sure I am making the progress I require. In the case that another traumatic event takes place, I have ensured that there are several safety nets in place by making sure my family, support group, and doctors and alerted ahead of time. My family specifically has been learning to notice the signs of my depressive episodes in their early stages to help intervene. Finally, I will be using accommodation provided by the school so that I am adequately assisted for in completing my coursework and meeting my goals as I have worked on removing the shame and guilt I have always otherwise associated with getting the help I need.
I have set up regular visits with my therapist, especially now that I have the financial support required to afford one and will be meeting on a weekly basis to ensure I am making the required progress in my courses. I will be on my required medication to help with my depression and anxiety to prevent it from becoming so debilitating and will be consulting and have been consulting with my doctor at an almost monthly basis to make sure I am making the progress I require. In the case that another traumatic event takes place, I have ensured that there are several safety nets in place by making sure my family, support group, and doctors and alerted ahead of time. My family specifically has been learning to notice the signs of my depressive episodes in their early stages to help intervene. Finally, I will be using accommodation provided by the school so that I am adequately assisted for in completing my coursework and meeting my goals as I have worked on removing the shame and guilt I have always otherwise associated with getting the help I need.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: NO DOC
Decision Letters
Amendment to Appeal 12193
Relevant Petition: 12193
Student Number: 20181648
Documentation
Professional Letter: KS School Note.pdf