Academic Plan
Late Drop Request:
Fall 2021 - FILM 236, HIST 211,
Winter 2022 - GLPH 171, HIST 252, HIST 283, PHIL 203
Credit Standing Request:
Fall 2021 - IDIS 199
Dear Associate Dean,
I am writing this letter to outline the circumstances that have affected my progression during my undergraduate career at Queen’s and to inform you of my academic plan
For the entirety of the Fall/Winter 2021/22 school year, I took online Queen’s courses from my family’s home in Burlington, Ontario. During the Fall 2021 semester, the relationship between my mother and her husband was a point of major concern in the house. My step-father was physically and emotionally abusive towards my mother and, at times, towards me and my younger brother. We had been dealing with his increasingly abusive behaviour since 2018. There was police involvement at several points between 2019 and 2022 as a result of his behaviour. These major events, as well as the day-to-day altercations, negatively impacted my mental health. I needed to support my mother and younger brother but it was hard to manage with difficult courses. In October 2021 he committed a violent act against my mother and he was arrested and charged as a result. He did not live with my family from that point on, but the legal aftermath, as well as the mental, emotional, and financial impacts of his actions remained with us for some time after he left. I worked with my doctor to receive mental health treatment shortly afterwards from October 2021.
In December 2021, I spent Christmas at my biological father’s home. My father unfortunately has a history of physically and emotionally abusive behaviour as well. On Christmas Eve, he physically and emotionally abused my step-mother and my two step-sisters for several hours. I tried to help de-escalate the situation and get but eventually I had to call the police as the situation got worse. The event was traumatic and impacted my mental health and functioning. Coupled with what I had been dealing with in my mother’s home, I felt depressed and completely unable to attend to myself or my responsibilities shortly afterwards. I enrolled in the Winter 2022 semester with a reduced course load and connected with student wellness, accessibility services and the external “Empower me” mental health service with hopes that I would be able to manage what I was experiencing and continue to make progress towards my degree. Unfortunately, despite receiving support, I was not able to achieve satisfactory results while contending with the impacts to my mental health.
I first consulted with my doctor in October 2021 to address my mental health struggles but I did not have an effective treatment plan yet and was awaiting referrals. I also worked with SWS, QSAS and Empower Me in January 2022 in order to have the supports in place for the Winter 2022 term. My depression worsened though, and I wanted After the Winter 2022 term I took a voluntary leave of absence until Spring 2024. During my time away I continued to work with medical supports to treat and further assess my mental health. I attended an Ontario college full-time during my leave of absence and maintained a 3.0+/4.0 GPA for my entire time there. I have distanced myself from the abusive figures that were in my life, and have made massive amounts of progress with my academics and with my mental health management. I am confident that ever since the removal of my traumatic stressors and the implementation of a comprehensive mental health treatment and support system, I have been satisfactorily equipped to succeed academically. Additionally, I have reconnected with QSAS in order to receive support this Fall/Winter.
I will continue to work with my medical support system at Queen’s and at home in order to ensure that my mental health does not negatively impact my academic progress at Queen’s. I will work with my QSAS advisor in order to ensure I have the support I need with my classes. Furthermore, I will work with Student Academic Success Services to continue building my academic skills.
Thank you for your consideration.
Zion Adegbayi
ST#: 20124796