Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Director,

The request

I am appealing for late drops on: ASTR 101 (Fall, 2021), ENIN 140 (Fall, 2021), HLTH 101 (Fall, 2021), PHIL 111 A (Fall, 2021), FILM 110 A (Fall, 2021), WRIT 120 (Winter, 2022)


Explanation of extenuating circumstance

It saddens me to be writing this letter. It is out of my character, and I am ashamed. I understand how this appeal may seem outrageous at first glance, but I ask for you to place trust in me once again and let me show you the true student I am. I have never struggled in school before, so it breaks my heart to think I have thrown away the chance to attend my dream school, Queens. For this reason, I plead for a second chance, to prove myself and make the mark at Queens I know I can.

After my first month of University, I fell into a darkness I couldn??t escape. Now that I??ve ??came out the other side? and am capable of looking inward again, it is clear why and how I let this happen. I became mentally paralyzed and because I was already behind in my courses, everything ?snowballing?? downwards.

The biggest factor that drove me into this situation was a non-consensual sexual experience I faced. I never told anyone about this experience, to try and pretend it never happened. That didn??t work. Finding myself outside the comfort of my own home, and surrounded by strangers in a new environment, I became triggered. I wouldn??t leave my bed for days, replaying the experience in my head and blaming myself. I assume in an attempt to ??punish myself?, I formed a serious eating disorder. The school noticed I wasn??t using my meal plan and my dawn confronted me. I was embarrassed that I said I was buying food off campus. Looking back on the fall semester is so bizarre and unexplainable to me. I did some assignments and essays for my courses and just chose to never hand them in. It is for this reason that the word ?paralyzed?? best describes my mental state during this year and the affect it had on the listed courses.

My parents knew something was wrong, but I didn??t know where to begin in sharing this situation with them. I didn??t want to let them down.

I feel so guilty, because I self-sabotaged my own potential. The longer it went on without me reaching out for help, the more difficult it got. It was such a drastic change from whom I have always been. I didn??t know how to deal with it.

The second time I got covid on January 11th I found it difficult to bounce back. It felt like one unconquerable wave after the next, with no break to catch my breath in between. I went to my older sister first. Together, we sat down and talked to my parents. I immediately felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. After that, I found the strength to meet with an academic adviser, Spring Forsberg. After that, I signed up for the mentorship program. Sure, you might read this and consider these to be ??baby steps?, but they were not for me ?? not in the moment. Now, I??m working on getting some professional help and building back the pieces that were stolen from me.

Overall, this year is not a reflection of the person I am, or the person I can be. It??s taken me hitting ??rock bottom? to realize this. If I am given the chance at a fresh start, and to not have this change the course of my life, I will be forever in debt. I won??t know if I??ve communicated my experience well enough until the verdict is in, but if I leave you with one thing to take into consideration, it is that I am stronger because of my struggles.


Future plan

I am still in the process of finding a therapist that is the right fit for me. Once I do, I will have weekly meetings to stay on track and actively talk about my mental health. I can forward these meetings on to you as my documentation. Due to the fact I kept all of this ??locked up? and hidden from the rest of the world, my current documentation is a letter from my mother.

I plan on meeting with my academic advisor to discuss my degree options. It has always been a dream of mine to finish my BA and attend law school in the UK. Right now, that seems unattainable, however I will use this hardship as a driver to pursue my goals I briefly lost sight of. I am committed to re-taking the courses I failed during my next 3 summer??s. I am also willing to take a 5th year at Queen??s, if needed. I will stay in the mentor program to help with my personal growth as a student. I know in my heart I can do this, and I want to put in the hard work to prove this.

One of my new coping mechanisms is writing poems. I now upload them anonymously onto tiktok: poems.for.the.people. Below is a poem I wrote about the PTSD I faced this year. These poems have been a great tool for me to find myself again. I am able to write it all out, then close my book and put it in the past.


I share this poem openly because it??s something that comes from the heart and explains my thoughts/feelings better than any formal paragraph.

Thank you for your consideration.


5 years later
I blamed myself, and was silent for years,
What I chose to ignore has never been so clear.
I thought you were my friend, but I??ve never been so wrong,
And I hate that I was weak,
When usually I??m strong.
The young fun I??ve missed and the things I??ve kept in,
It kills me to know that in a way, you did win.
On weekends when everyone is partying all night,
I??d rather stay in, that??s always felt right.
And I never knew why, but now I do?
The reason I??m scared is all because of you
And I wish back then, I had this point of view.
But I??m sad, because honestly I feel like I??ve failed
When I think back its scary, I can??t remember a single detail.
And if I could go back and change everything I would,
Sadly I cant,
And I??m stuck with this imprint for good.
Like writing on paper I just wish I could erase,
Along with all the subconscious fears I??ve had to face.
But life??s to short to waste my time thinking about you,
I don??t accept what happened
But I will be able to get through.
So todays the day I??m choosing to say goodbye,
A choice
But this time, the choice is mine.
Five years later I finally have let myself cry.
And slowly, day by day, the time will come
When you get what you deserve
And your name is known by everyone.