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Petition Type: New
ID: 9582
Submitted: September 22, 2022 at 11:09:57 AM
First Name: Kanza
Last Name: Kibria
Student Number: 20075222
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: ECON
Level of Study: 4

Petition Categories

Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline

Petition Letter

Petition Letter: Dear Dr.Stephenson,

My name is Kanza Kibria. I am writing to you today to request that you waive the 21-day deadline for the appeal I had made from this past Summer.

To begin, I would like to thank you for this opportunity and for giving me a chance to be heard, and apologize for the delay in completing my original appeal. I do not take the Faculty??s decision or timelines lightly and recognize what it reflects about my academic record thus far. However, I am seeking the University??s support in the face of numerous barriers that have put me in this position, which I will highlight below.

Due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control, I have been unable to submit my academic plan and required documentation on time. These circumstances have been a mix of personal, family, financial, and mental health related problems that have been negatively impacting my ability to meet the required deadlines.

Before and during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, I dealt with various difficult circumstances related to my family, including illness, death and financial problems, which directly impacted me as a student. Along with the general anxiety and problems created by the pandemic on a societal level, my family??s personal experiences left me severely traumatized, preventing me from being able to submit the required documentation on time.

I have dealt with anxiety and depression for a large portion of my life, both of which got exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the problems my family experienced. Recognizing that these mental health issues were deeply impacting my ability to perform academically, I sought out professional medical help and started seeing a therapist. My therapist was able to help me identify that many of my mental health issues were caused by intergenerational trauma as a first generation immigrant from a low-income, single parent family.

My therapist also helped me identify that I had trouble focusing and that I had other indicators of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This observation had been made to me by my friends and family as well, who were noticing that I was having more trouble than ever when it came to focusing on various tasks, including my academics. It was very difficult for me to come to terms with what was going on with my mental health, and just the thought of having a potential ADHD diagnosis was triggering a lot of anxiety, which further prevented me from being able to complete my appeal on time. In addition, it was very challenging to access such services that would be able to provide me with an official diagnosis, which also delayed my ability to submit my document on time. These types of services are very expensive, and for a student coming from a low income family, this is not an expense that can easily be paid for. I had many financial constraints, resulting in a further delay in getting the correct documents I needed for my appeal.

After months of research and deliberation, I was able to figure out and pursue an ADHD assessment, as I suspected it was a lengthy and very expensive process. I had to request payment plans to be put in place in order for me to pay off the fees from the assessment, which I am still working on paying off to this day. In August of 2022 I finally got assessed for ADHD through an extremely extensive and emotionally exhausting process. Through this assessment, I became aware of the severity of my mental health condition, and how big of an impact it was having on my personal, work, and most importantly, my school life. ADHD is understood to be a chronic and debilitating disorder that impacts an individual??s academic and professional achievements, interpersonal relationships, and daily functioning. While this diagnosis has been incredibly taxing on me, it has also helped me understand why I am in this position and figure out the right course of action. The diagnosis really helped me understand why the mix of my extenuating circumstances were delaying my ability to work on and submit my appeal documents. In addition, the psychologist who assessed me for ADHD has also informed me of some other mental health related conditions that have been affecting my life.

In addition to therapy and the ADHD assessment, I have been taking other measures to ensure that I am able to commit the most amount of time and effort to ensure I am able to complete this appeal. I quit all extra-curricular activities and my job, so that I can focus better on getting my academics in order. I am actively looking for additional financial support from OSAP or other sources, to help relieve some of the financial pressures I have after paying off my assessment fees. I have taken all these steps because I want to effectively manage and resolve my ongoing extenuating circumstances that have previously hindered my ability to meet these appeal deadlines.

I am eager to discuss my circumstances with you on why the 21-day deadline should be waived for my situation. I believe that now that I am aware of the mental health issues that were preventing me from meeting these deadlines, I can use the toolbox of resources I am creating for myself, in addition to the necessary accommodations recommended to me, in order to prevent delays as such to happen in the future.

In addition to this letter, I have also attached an official diagnosis. I am having trouble adding the password protected document to the appeal portal, so I have added screenshots instead. I will also be emailing the document to the Academic Appeals Office. Please enter Mindful2022KK to access the file. If this appeal to waive the 21-day deadline is approved, I have also made an academic plan which highlights how I will effectively manage my studies around my extenuating circumstances, which I would love to share with you if given the opportunity.

Thank you for giving me a chance to share my situation with you and a chance to submit an appeal to waive the 21-day deadline in spite of my circumstances. I would love an opportunity to further speak on this in person or over a Zoom call if need be. I believe I deserve a chance to show the Faculty why the 21-day deadline should be waived and how I can perform and represent Queen??s as a student with the right accommodations and by being more well informed of how to deal with my mental health issues.

Documentation

Professional Letter: Kanza Kibria- ADHD 1-0.png

Amendment to Appeal 9582

Petition Type: 3
ID: 9622
Submitted: October 4, 2022 at 11:02:15 AM
Relevant Petition: 9582
First Name: Kanza
Last Name: Kibria
Student Number: 20075222
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: ECON
Level of Study: 4

Petition Categories

Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year

Petition Letter

Petition Letter: Dear Dr.Stephenson,

My name is Kanza Kibria. I am writing to you today to request that I get reinstated as a student at Queen??s University starting the semester of Fall 2022. Thereby, I am appealing the Faculty??s decision that I withdraw from Queen??s University for a minimum of one year.

To begin, I would like to thank you for this opportunity and for giving me a chance to be heard. I do not take the Faculty??s decision lightly and recognize what it reflects about my academic record thus far. However, I am seeking the University??s support in the face of numerous barriers that have put me in this position, which I will highlight below.

Due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control, I have been unable to perform well as a student for the past two years, resulting in poor grades. These circumstances have been a mix of personal, family, financial, and mental health related problems that have been negatively impacting my life here at Queen??s University.

Before and during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, I dealt with various difficult circumstances related to my family, including illness, death and financial problems, which directly impacted me as a student. Along with the general anxiety and problems created by the pandemic on a societal level, my family??s personal experiences left me severely traumatized, preventing me from being able to focus on my studies.

In addition, I have been dealing with long term mental health issues, which I was not well informed of up until recently. I have dealt with anxiety and depression for a large portion of my life, both of which got exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the problems my family experienced. Recognizing that these mental health issues were deeply impacting my ability to perform academically, I sought out professional medical help and started seeing a therapist in the winter of 2022. My therapist was able to help me identify that many of my mental health issues were caused by intergenerational trauma as a first generation immigrant from a low-income, single parent family.

My therapist also helped me identify that I had trouble focusing and that I had other indicators of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This observation had been made to me by my friends and family as well, who were noticing that I was having more trouble than ever when it came to focusing on various tasks, including my academics. After months of research and deliberation, I was able to figure out and pursue an ADHD assessment, as I suspected it might be a major reason behind my inability to perform well at University. In the summer of 2022, I got assessed for ADHD through an extremely extensive and emotionally exhausting process. Through this assessment, I became aware of the severity of my mental health condition, and how big of an impact it was having on my personal, work, and most importantly, my school life. ADHD is understood to be a chronic and debilitating disorder that impacts an individual??s academic and professional achievements, interpersonal relationships, and daily functioning. While this diagnosis has been incredibly taxing on me, it has also helped me understand why I am in this position and figure out the right course of action. In addition, the psychologist who assessed me for ADHD has also informed me of some other mental health related conditions that have been affecting my school life.

To better help myself succeed, I have been actively going to therapy sessions bi-weekly. I have also been recommended numerous other academic accommodations by a medical professional that I believe will truly help me perform better as a student. In addition to therapy and the ADHD assessment, I have been taking other measures to ensure that I am able to commit the most amount of time and effort to my academics. For this Fall semester of 2022, I quit all extra-curricular activities and hired a tutor to help monitor my studies for the school year. In addition I also quit my job, so that I can focus better on school and I am actively looking for additional financial support from OSAP or other sources. I have taken all these steps because I want to effectively manage and resolve my ongoing extenuating circumstances that have previously hindered me as a student.

I believe that what I need now is support and guidance from my professors and the rest of the community here at Queen??s in order to succeed as a student. I am eager to discuss my circumstances with an Academic Advisor who can support me in creating a plan to complete my degree. I believe that now that I am aware of the mental health issues that were preventing me from succeeding as a student, I can use the toolbox of resources I am creating for myself, in addition to the necessary academic accommodations recommended to me, in order to do well in school.

In addition to this letter, I have also attached an official diagnosis and an academic plan which highlights how I will effectively manage my studies around my extenuating circumstances. The official diagnosis document is password protected due to its confidentiality, so please enter Mindful2022KK to access the file.

Thank you for giving me a chance to share my situation with you and a chance to recommit myself to life here at Queen??s University in spite of my circumstances. I would love an opportunity to further speak on this in person or over a Zoom call if need be. I believe I deserve a chance to show the Faculty how I can perform and represent Queen??s as a student with the right accommodations and by being more well informed of how to deal with my mental health issues.

Academic Plan

Academic Plan: Academic Plan Fall 2022

Now that I am fully aware of the effect my extenuating circumstances have had on my studies, I am being proactive to ensure I can be successful academically. I am attending regular therapy sessions, taking my medication, hiring a tutor to help manage my school work, and looking to see an Academic Advisor to help me plan my future at Queen??s. I have worked on myself the entire summer, and learned about what I need in order to be successful, something that I was unable to do before. I am now managing my extenuating circumstances effectively, and believe that if given the opportunity to return starting this semester I can really do well. I am eager and excited to start this Fall and hope that the Faculty of Arts & Science will be able to see this and give me the right support and guidance to work towards my goals. My circumstances were not in my control, and still are not, but I have taken the necessary precautions in order to manage them.

Course of Study
I need to consult an Academic Advisor on what I can do with past courses that I haven??t done well in, and how I can redeem myself moving forward to ensure I am able to do well and graduate
Requirements Met: ECON 110, MATH 126, ECON 212, ECON 222, ECON 262
Requirements Not Met: 3 units from ECON 480-499 , 12 units from econ at 400
Courses for AG Standing: ECON 255, ECON 250, ECON 310, ECON 351, ECON 320

Full-time vs Part-time
I tried to make an appointment online for this week with an Academic Advisor, but all the time slots were full. So I will be calling tomorrow morning to ask if there is anything available for next week, since online it doesn??t show the schedule for next week.
I want to speak to an advisor about Aegrotat standing, and whether it could help my case in any way
I do want to be a fulltime student, as I believe that it will help encourage me to spend my time effectively in completing my courses and moving forward from this situation

Strategies for Success
I believe that getting an official diagnosis and a therapist has tremendously helped me manage my extenuating circumstances that previously have hindered my success as a student at Queen??s.
In order to be proactive about my circumstances now so they don??t affect my studies like they have in the past, I will be going to regular therapy sessions. I will also be meeting with an Academic Advisor regularly, so that I can change my academic plan as needed in order to be more successful as a student
In addition, using the recommended academic accommodations that were sent to me by my psychologist and ensuring my professors are aware of them


Areas of Concern
Resources, Remedies, and Next Steps

Academic Demands
Attending office hours regularly to get further help and guidance from Professors and Teaching Assistants
Finding myself course specific tutors, for courses I tend to find more difficult
Getting the academic accommodations that were recommended by my psychologist to be put in place to help me be more successful as a student

Academic Interests
Set up a meeting with an Academic Advisor to discuss the future of my time here at Queen??s
Meet with the Roda Mendoza (Economics Undergraduate Program Assistant) to seek advice on my courses

Academic Skills & Work Habits
I have hired a tutor to help me with my Economics related courses, but also want to speak to an academic advisor on campus
I will be using the resources provided through the Student Academic Success Services, in order to better manage my coursework
I am not taking part in extracurricular activities or working this year, so I can put all my time and energy towards my school work

Personal Circumstances
I will also be managing my ADHD through my therapy and newly prescribed medication in order to effectively work around it
I am also going to therapy regularly to help manage my other extenuating circumstances that have stood in the way of me doing well academically

Financial Resources
I believe I do need some help financially with my schooling, since I won??t be working as much
I will be booking appointments with the Student Awards Office, to look into what help I could potentially receive

Documentation

Professional Letter: Kanza Kibria- ADHD 1-1.png
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History

Originally submitted September 22, 2022 at 11:09:57 AM.

FieldReferenceOld ValueNew ValueNoteUserDate/Time
statusN/AReceivedIn ReviewKerri Andrews2022-09-22 11:13:29 AM
statusN/AIn ReviewGrantedKerri Andrews2022-10-03 2:33:24 PM
associate_deanN/AJenn Stephenson, Ph.D.Kerri Andrews2022-10-03 2:33:24 PM
decision_letterN/AN/ADecision letter sentKerri Andrews2022-10-03 2:34:31 PM