Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter to petition for an extension on a grade change for DEVS492: Global Agrofood Systems. I was unable to finish this course during my winter 2025 semester as I was living with undiagnosed ADHD, depression, and anxiety. As I was significantly struggling to do my assignments during the semester due to my illnesses, my workload tripled at the end of the winter 2025 semester, so I decided to late drop one of my courses (DEVS300) and request an IN for my honours thesis (DEVS501). At the time, I thought I would have the capacity to complete DEVS492 while slowly working on my thesis, but this proved more difficult than expected. With my mental health hitting a trough, I was unable to complete DEVS492 and decided to focus on one course at a time.

To describe my challenges further: although I have been dealing with the symptoms of ADHD since I was quite young, I did not receive a diagnosis until May of 2025. While I was aware of my own condition, receiving professional care and supporting myself while also suffering with my symptoms was incredibly difficult. It was very difficult for me to take care of myself during this time: it was a challenge to get out of my house, let alone my bed, eating became a chore, and I began to isolate myself. This issue has been prevalent throughout my undergraduate career, but was exacerbated in my last year of study, around November of 2024, due to all the looming deadlines, my challenging relationship with my conditions, and my need for transition time which is commonly non-existent following completing an undergraduate degree. I have regularly felt depressed and anxious, but the timing of this bout of depression compacted with many traumatic life events and poor self-esteem forced me to take a long and deep break from coursework.

My period of duress lasted until around February of 2026. I have taken nearly a year off of actively completing my degree in order to focus on my mental health and overall wellbeing. I have been able to gradually add work and studying back into my life with new lifestyle changes that have helped with my symptoms of ADHD. Re-introducing therapy into my bi-weekly routine, meditating and practicing yoga often, taking the proper medications, and moving back in with my familial support system have made it much easier to function with my symptoms and has given me. I obviously still struggle with some of my symptoms of ADHD, but I have significantly less anxiety and no longer feel depressed.

DEVS492 is the last class I have to finish in order to graduate this spring with my BAH in DEVS. I have contacted Dr. Paritosh Kumar to ask if a grade change would be possible in this case. He led me to the petitions to ensure that the grade change can occur as he has no issue with me submitting the assignments this late. I have started on completing the coursework for this course and hope to complete it in the coming weeks, well before the deadline for grade changes before graduation. Thankfully, I am only missing a couple of assignments as some of my coursework was completed from winter 2025. As this is my only class and most significant priority, completing the course will not be incredibly difficult, especially with my increased ability and capacity after my break from coursework and my lifestyle changes.

Thanks so much for your understanding and time.

Sincerely,
Anika