Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello,

I hope this letter finds you well and safe,

I am writing this letter to a) appeal the one-term deadline to submit an appeal and b) request Credit (CR) standing in BIOL 102 during Summer 2019 due to the extenuating circumstances. Attached are three documents; the first outlines my medical history and illness during 2019 as well as an updated 2021 history by my psychiatrist, the second includes my diagnosis report for Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2021 and the last is my previous and current academic accommodations at McMaster University through the Student Accessibility Services.

??As I left high school, it seemed like I was inheriting the journey of my ancestors, to build a life for myself in a foreign country, and this pressure got to me - my mother??s family and the rest of the Asian minority were expelled from Uganda in 1972; my father, fourteen and alone, moved from Kenya to Canada to pursue higher education and pave a path for future generations. I was born in Nairobi, Kenya and my education up until completing the International Baccalaureate diploma was in Nairobi, the city that I consider ??home.? After moving to Toronto, Ontario alone to begin my post-secondary education at McMaster University in the Health Sciences Program, I underwent a massive shift mentally, brought upon by the big transition and all the nuances that characterize the starting of a new environment. Upon completing my first semester, I felt excessively sad, anxious and overall very unstable. While a few of these symptoms seemed common to my previous anxiety, they dramatically worsened and I decided to take the second semester off.

Upon returning back home to Kenya in January 2019, my psychiatrist conducted a psychometric test using Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating scale (MADRS), an internationally validated objective depression rating scale, and I scored 53/60 which indicated severe depression as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I underwent weekly psychotherapy and began medication/treatment (started on 50mg of Sertraline and currently on 125mg). Throughout my semester back home, I was greatly worried about returning back to university ?? I felt hopeless and was concerned about having to repeat first year again and be behind my peers. I was directed to BIOL 102 at Queen??s University. I was lucky enough that the course was offered online and that I could complete the modules and necessary assignments from Kenya (apart from the final assessment in-person). I enrolled in the course during the Summer of 2019.

In hindsight, I should not have been worried about being behind my peers and redoing a course and/or spending an extra year at university because it is totally normal, but the whole situation was so new to me and I was so unwell, it was difficult for me to logistically think everything through. My severe depression and anxiety and other fears and circumstances completely hindered my ability to perform work at my fullest potential. I was unable to focus, stay organized, get through the material in a timely manner and be engaged in the work. It was an extremely difficult journey to come back to Ontario, and when I finally made it back, soon after, I had to write the final exam for the course. It was so difficult to study and go through many post-traumatic stress episodes after arriving and generally just working and managing my study time was really hard. At the end of the course, I received a grade of C- and I was absolutely devastated. Biology has, and continues to be a course I am very good at and have earned an A+ in second year Biology as well as Biochemistry and I knew this score was not a depiction of anything I am capable off.

As my second semester progressed, knowledge and presence of the novel COVID-19 Virus became much more prevalent, with countries all over the world implementing lockdowns and travel restrictions to combat the spread. I was unable to return back home to Kenya for 9 months and see my father, which almost hindered my recovery as I took a turn for the worse; with prominent feelings of depression and anxiety recurring steadily and quickly. Around the same time, my father caught COVID-19, my sister was let go from her job and my maternal grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer??s Dementia. I felt the ground break beneath my feet, but stayed afloat, nonetheless. I never got the full chance to settle and time-after-time I was thrown and experienced so many additional factors to the point where my academics became less important and my own mental health and wellbeing of my family took priority.

As of September 2020, I was given the opportunity to travel back home to Kenya for the first semester. At the same time, being only myself, my father (who works 12+ hours a day) and my paternal grandmother, I acted as a primary caregiver for my paternal grandfather who suffered an ischemic stroke in December 2019 and was 75% paralyzed. In January 2021, I returned back to Ontario to complete my second semester. Throughout the semester, I took several trips to Vancouver to visit my maternal grandmother with Dementia and my maternal grandfather. While I was there, I acted as a primary caretaker.

In early 2021, while I was improving mentally (through my therapy and medication) I was still experiencing waves of hopelessness, anxiety and other physical manifestations. Based on my personal history, my psychiatrist alongside his team, conducted a multi-disciplinary Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessment. Thereafter, I received an additional/ secondary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. This brought my full diagnosis to Major Depressive disorder with Generalised Anxiety disorder in the context of Autism spectrum disorder not otherwise specified.

My compounded conditions of MDD, Anxiety & ASD have hindered my ability to perform at my full academic potential. Each diagnosis had its own barrier that contributed to academic difficulty, such as lack of concentration, migraines, hindered comprehension and a slow study pace. This request for CR rather than the letter grade C- is a very late request, but since 2019 when I completed the course, I have experienced so many hardships and adversities to the point where I have not been able to direct my concentration towards my academic success and as I am graduating and applying for graduate schools, I can see how this grade is heavily impacting my GPA. The course was taken during a time of great difficulty, and I ask that you waive the 21-day deadline and consider my request to change the grading scale from a C- to a CR (credit).

I am aware that these requests may be rare, uncommon and not guaranteed, but I invite you to read through the extenuating circumstances outlined and consider my request.

Thank you so much,
Omar Gulam?