Petition Letter
To the Associate Dean (Academic),
I am appealing to drop CLST 102 (Winter, 2018), ECON 255 (Winter, 2018), ECON 212 (Summer 2018), and ECON 233 (Summer 2018) after the last official date for dropping classes.
My parents are first-generation immigrants therefore, they did not understand the complexity of the mental health issues my younger had, therefore, I felt the need to take responsibility for her as no one else would. In the winter 2018 semester, the day on campus would consist of me going to class, booking appointments for my sister and taking the train back to Toronto to take care of her, and catching the earliest train back to Kingston. I was constantly exhausted and had no energy or mental capacity to be a successful student. I felt as though I had no choice, I knew what I was doing was detrimental to my academics although the life of my sister is priceless, therefore, I chose to sacrifice my own well-being to protect her.
In summer 2018, I thought enrolling and doing well in ECON 212 and ECON 223 was doable because I did not need to worry about traveling to Kingston as I was going to be back home full-time with my sister. During summer 2018 I was dealing with mental health struggles myself; I was refusing to deal with sexual abuse and trauma that occurred in my youth which made me depressed while trying to help my sister. I chose to ignore my own struggles to prioritize her health and her safety because no one else would.
After the summer of 2018, I lost hope. I felt as though I was stuck in a hole and that my future was too uncertain to come back to Queens and be a good student. I was ashamed that I did not recognize the student or person I was becoming. In 2019, the mental health of my sister continued to deteriorate, and she became physically and emotionally abusive towards me. My parents did not know how to handle the situation therefore, I was in between living with my boyfriend and Airbnbs. As both my finances and mental health were deteriorating, I had to make the choice to move back home and work full time in hopes of creating a future for myself. My day consisted of calling the police because my sister would assault me, only to have my parents lie to the police due to the stigma against mental health.
On February 7th, 2020, my sister took a combination of drugs and physically assaulted me. My sister created an extremely hostile situation by running at my parents with knives therefore I called the police and they decided to arrest her for assault due to the overwhelming volume of calls they have gotten throughout the years concerning this very issue. The court deemed that we were to be separated and her charges would be dropped after completing a year at Pine River. I finally had hope that things would turn around. Unfortunately, my sister threatened to run away from the program and my parents went against her therapists' requests by picking her up to take her back home. My parents forced me to move out in June 2020, I was living with my boyfriend again but knew this was not sustainable. I had also been seeing a therapist regularly which helped me make smarter decisions and process these difficult times in a healthy manner. I saved up enough money to move out to an apartment in Toronto to separate myself from my sister and my parents. I realized this cycle would be never-ending if I continued to put myself in the same dangerous environment.
The reason I did not appeal within the deadline was that I was unsure of my future. I lost hope and could not ensure that I would be a successful student at Queens. I did not have a plan to ensure that would be academically successful as my family situation was uncertain and as result, my mental health continued to deteriorate.
With a combination of therapy, change of environment, and time I realized I had to pick myself back up and focus on my future. I remembered how happy I was reading my Queens acceptance letter and how proud I was to say Queens University chose me. I missed learning and nourishing my mind and took the necessary steps in Fall 2020 to ensure that I would have a successful semester. I am attending therapy regularly, living in my own apartment, and am financially independent. I am happy to say that I am in an environment now where I can thrive both academically and mentally. I am appealing to have CLST 102 (Winter, 2018), ECON 255 (Winter, 2018), ECON 212 (Summer 2018), and ECON 233 (Summer 2018) dropped so it does not affect my transcript and put me on academic probation. The courses I am dropping do not reflect my academic plan as I am switching to a BA in Psychology from BAH in Economics. I completed PSYC-100A in Fall 2020 and I loved my coursework, which ensures I will be learning what I am passionate about. I love learning about human behavior therefore, I do not want to pause my academics due to reflection of my grades in the past. To make sure I am successful in achieving academic success I will continue to see my therapist regularly, change my plan to psychology and live in a safe environment, and continue being independent of my family. I love my family and hope one day we will reunite although, as for now my focus is prioritizing my future and happiness which involves Queens University.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Shayana Rex
I am appealing to drop CLST 102 (Winter, 2018), ECON 255 (Winter, 2018), ECON 212 (Summer 2018), and ECON 233 (Summer 2018) after the last official date for dropping classes.
My parents are first-generation immigrants therefore, they did not understand the complexity of the mental health issues my younger had, therefore, I felt the need to take responsibility for her as no one else would. In the winter 2018 semester, the day on campus would consist of me going to class, booking appointments for my sister and taking the train back to Toronto to take care of her, and catching the earliest train back to Kingston. I was constantly exhausted and had no energy or mental capacity to be a successful student. I felt as though I had no choice, I knew what I was doing was detrimental to my academics although the life of my sister is priceless, therefore, I chose to sacrifice my own well-being to protect her.
In summer 2018, I thought enrolling and doing well in ECON 212 and ECON 223 was doable because I did not need to worry about traveling to Kingston as I was going to be back home full-time with my sister. During summer 2018 I was dealing with mental health struggles myself; I was refusing to deal with sexual abuse and trauma that occurred in my youth which made me depressed while trying to help my sister. I chose to ignore my own struggles to prioritize her health and her safety because no one else would.
After the summer of 2018, I lost hope. I felt as though I was stuck in a hole and that my future was too uncertain to come back to Queens and be a good student. I was ashamed that I did not recognize the student or person I was becoming. In 2019, the mental health of my sister continued to deteriorate, and she became physically and emotionally abusive towards me. My parents did not know how to handle the situation therefore, I was in between living with my boyfriend and Airbnbs. As both my finances and mental health were deteriorating, I had to make the choice to move back home and work full time in hopes of creating a future for myself. My day consisted of calling the police because my sister would assault me, only to have my parents lie to the police due to the stigma against mental health.
On February 7th, 2020, my sister took a combination of drugs and physically assaulted me. My sister created an extremely hostile situation by running at my parents with knives therefore I called the police and they decided to arrest her for assault due to the overwhelming volume of calls they have gotten throughout the years concerning this very issue. The court deemed that we were to be separated and her charges would be dropped after completing a year at Pine River. I finally had hope that things would turn around. Unfortunately, my sister threatened to run away from the program and my parents went against her therapists' requests by picking her up to take her back home. My parents forced me to move out in June 2020, I was living with my boyfriend again but knew this was not sustainable. I had also been seeing a therapist regularly which helped me make smarter decisions and process these difficult times in a healthy manner. I saved up enough money to move out to an apartment in Toronto to separate myself from my sister and my parents. I realized this cycle would be never-ending if I continued to put myself in the same dangerous environment.
The reason I did not appeal within the deadline was that I was unsure of my future. I lost hope and could not ensure that I would be a successful student at Queens. I did not have a plan to ensure that would be academically successful as my family situation was uncertain and as result, my mental health continued to deteriorate.
With a combination of therapy, change of environment, and time I realized I had to pick myself back up and focus on my future. I remembered how happy I was reading my Queens acceptance letter and how proud I was to say Queens University chose me. I missed learning and nourishing my mind and took the necessary steps in Fall 2020 to ensure that I would have a successful semester. I am attending therapy regularly, living in my own apartment, and am financially independent. I am happy to say that I am in an environment now where I can thrive both academically and mentally. I am appealing to have CLST 102 (Winter, 2018), ECON 255 (Winter, 2018), ECON 212 (Summer 2018), and ECON 233 (Summer 2018) dropped so it does not affect my transcript and put me on academic probation. The courses I am dropping do not reflect my academic plan as I am switching to a BA in Psychology from BAH in Economics. I completed PSYC-100A in Fall 2020 and I loved my coursework, which ensures I will be learning what I am passionate about. I love learning about human behavior therefore, I do not want to pause my academics due to reflection of my grades in the past. To make sure I am successful in achieving academic success I will continue to see my therapist regularly, change my plan to psychology and live in a safe environment, and continue being independent of my family. I love my family and hope one day we will reunite although, as for now my focus is prioritizing my future and happiness which involves Queens University.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Shayana Rex