Petition Letter
The reason for this petition letter doesn't involve any personal events that are beyond my control, rather the continuation of my studies here at Queens. I was recently made aware of the DIPA certificate program that allows students to gain a deeper understanding into disability and physical activity while doing hands on work in gyms with participants of all ages. After being involved in many different disability clubs (Students for Special Olympics, Friday Friends, Winter Adapted Games, and H'ART Center) this past semester (Fall 2024) I gained a deeper passion for this type of work and decided that DIPA was the way to go to further my experience in hopes of furthering my studies with a Masters in Occupational Therapy following successful completion of my undergraduate degree.
I am currently enrolled in a Life Sciences degree (Major) and am finishing my third year this semester. The DIPA certificate is something that I am going to add on top of my Life Sciences degree, therefore, there is a necessity for this course that I am requesting to enroll in. HLTH 200 is one of the courses that is required for successful completion of the DIPA certificate and after speaking to Amanda Cunningham (DIPA Coordinator) and Nicole Beamish (HLTH 200 instructor) I was made aware that it was possible for me to be enrolled. However, since it is past the deadline this is my only way to get into HLTH 200.
The past couple of weeks I have been in direct contact, through email and phone calls with Amanda about the possibility of joining DIPA this May and she told me that I would be a great candidate if I would be able to enroll in HLTH 200 this semester. Amanda and I got in touch with Dr. Beamish would say she would accept me into HLTH 200, knowing that there would be work to catch up on since this is Week 3. However, I am fully aware of that and am willing to spend extra time the first couple of weeks when I am enrolled making up the work and catching up to the rest of the class, especially because I find the course content compelling and incredibly relevant to DIPA and my current interests.
Completing HLTH 200 is vital to the continuation of my studies particularly the DIPA certificate as to successfully complete DIPA at the time of my graduation (June 2026) I need to also take the courses KNPE 336 and KNPE 436 which are the practical components working with participants. However, HLTH 200, which is only offered in the Winter semesters is a prerequisite to these courses, making it impossible for me to even enroll in these classes in my fourth year, let alone successfully complete DIPA.
I've looked into all the options of when to possibly take this class in the future, however, ideally I could've taken it remotely in the summer time but it is not offered until next Winter.
Unfortunately, the timing of everything recently, I wasn't able to coordinate quick enough (especially given the class was full) with Dr. Beamish and it has passed the deadline to add classes. I've been back and forth with Amanda and we figured enrolling in HLTH 200 this semester would be my best bet to successfully complete the DIPA certificate, so she pointed me towards filling out a petition to hopefully be enrolled into this class, as Dr. Beamish did say it was possible to be accepted.
That being said, if I am successfully enrolled into HLTH 200, I would need to drop GLPH 385 as a 6 course semester wouldn't be possible for me this semester. With all my prior commitments (clubs, volunteering, work, extracurriculars) I would prefer to keep my course load to five courses this semester. I have also looked into it further, and GLPH 385 is offered in the Summer semester (Summer 2025) so I am planning to take it in Summer 2025 to also complete this class. The reason for not dropping this class earlier is that I was waiting for an official acceptance into HLTH 200 before dropping my fifth class. Since that never came through I didn't drop the class, but if HLTH 200 is successfully added to my schedule I will need to drop this one (GLPH 385). However, right now, placing emphasis on completing HLTH 200 is of utmost importance and priority to ensure that I complete my Life Sciences degree successfully but also my DIPA certificate.
Regretfully, out of my control I did miss these deadlines as there has been a lot of communication on my end, but also with all the instructors and coordinators involved to figure out the best plan moving forward and unfortunately, we didn't get it all done before the deadline. Therefore, I am requesting serious consideration of these circumstances, on the basis of completing both my undergraduate degree but also the DIPA program, which unfortunately lies on the completion of HLTH 200.
I am currently enrolled in a Life Sciences degree (Major) and am finishing my third year this semester. The DIPA certificate is something that I am going to add on top of my Life Sciences degree, therefore, there is a necessity for this course that I am requesting to enroll in. HLTH 200 is one of the courses that is required for successful completion of the DIPA certificate and after speaking to Amanda Cunningham (DIPA Coordinator) and Nicole Beamish (HLTH 200 instructor) I was made aware that it was possible for me to be enrolled. However, since it is past the deadline this is my only way to get into HLTH 200.
The past couple of weeks I have been in direct contact, through email and phone calls with Amanda about the possibility of joining DIPA this May and she told me that I would be a great candidate if I would be able to enroll in HLTH 200 this semester. Amanda and I got in touch with Dr. Beamish would say she would accept me into HLTH 200, knowing that there would be work to catch up on since this is Week 3. However, I am fully aware of that and am willing to spend extra time the first couple of weeks when I am enrolled making up the work and catching up to the rest of the class, especially because I find the course content compelling and incredibly relevant to DIPA and my current interests.
Completing HLTH 200 is vital to the continuation of my studies particularly the DIPA certificate as to successfully complete DIPA at the time of my graduation (June 2026) I need to also take the courses KNPE 336 and KNPE 436 which are the practical components working with participants. However, HLTH 200, which is only offered in the Winter semesters is a prerequisite to these courses, making it impossible for me to even enroll in these classes in my fourth year, let alone successfully complete DIPA.
I've looked into all the options of when to possibly take this class in the future, however, ideally I could've taken it remotely in the summer time but it is not offered until next Winter.
Unfortunately, the timing of everything recently, I wasn't able to coordinate quick enough (especially given the class was full) with Dr. Beamish and it has passed the deadline to add classes. I've been back and forth with Amanda and we figured enrolling in HLTH 200 this semester would be my best bet to successfully complete the DIPA certificate, so she pointed me towards filling out a petition to hopefully be enrolled into this class, as Dr. Beamish did say it was possible to be accepted.
That being said, if I am successfully enrolled into HLTH 200, I would need to drop GLPH 385 as a 6 course semester wouldn't be possible for me this semester. With all my prior commitments (clubs, volunteering, work, extracurriculars) I would prefer to keep my course load to five courses this semester. I have also looked into it further, and GLPH 385 is offered in the Summer semester (Summer 2025) so I am planning to take it in Summer 2025 to also complete this class. The reason for not dropping this class earlier is that I was waiting for an official acceptance into HLTH 200 before dropping my fifth class. Since that never came through I didn't drop the class, but if HLTH 200 is successfully added to my schedule I will need to drop this one (GLPH 385). However, right now, placing emphasis on completing HLTH 200 is of utmost importance and priority to ensure that I complete my Life Sciences degree successfully but also my DIPA certificate.
Regretfully, out of my control I did miss these deadlines as there has been a lot of communication on my end, but also with all the instructors and coordinators involved to figure out the best plan moving forward and unfortunately, we didn't get it all done before the deadline. Therefore, I am requesting serious consideration of these circumstances, on the basis of completing both my undergraduate degree but also the DIPA program, which unfortunately lies on the completion of HLTH 200.