Petition Letter
I am kindly asking you to drop my courses for this semester. The reason for dropping my courses is due to my continued memory woes (extreme difficulty retaining information after reading), difficulty concentrating, debilitating anxiety, and frequent bouts of stress. I have been experiencing these symptoms since the fall of 2019. It didn't help that I was ostracized and isolated during most of my time at Queen's due to the colour of my skin. Some of my unpleasant experiences at Queen's have been students glaring and whispering when they saw me in residence, students giving me dirty looks, eating alone in the dining hall all year, and two white females crossing the street when they saw that my skin was black. Queen's is aware of all of this.
I found it difficult to start, continue and complete assignments due to my continued memory woes. It was not for lack of trying. Sticking with the determination to do my schoolwork given all the debilitating symptoms I was experiencing, I have such anxiety and stress that I often recoil into myself in my room, as I found I was a shell of what I used to be academically. It resulted in extreme anxiety, sleepless nights, diarrhea, and frequent bouts of stress. I hid all that I was experiencing from my mom, brother, and friends. I felt ashamed. I felt like a failure. I was afraid to be seen as a failure. Feeling isolated and not having anyone to share this aberration with was debilitating. I am not used to not doing well academically and being ostracized by peers. I had made smooth transitions - both academically and socially - to academically rigorous programs before. Not being able to do schoolwork is out of character for me. I finally had the courage to tell my mom all that has been happening to me and we have been in talks with Queen's since spring of 2019. I am currently undergoing a psychological assessment to ascertain the tools needed to best support my learning at Queen's and beyond. A psychological assessment was in the works for spring of 2019 at Queen's but was abruptly postponed due to the pandemic and everyone having to leave campus. Then it was cancelled this current school year due to the continuing pandemic. As such, my mom sought to do a private assessment, which is currently ongoing. Our hope is that this assessment will shed light on what is happening to me and provide all the tools needed for success at Queen's and beyond. I just want my old self back - my happiness and capability to soar academically like I know that I can.
Sincerely,
Lee Wallace
I found it difficult to start, continue and complete assignments due to my continued memory woes. It was not for lack of trying. Sticking with the determination to do my schoolwork given all the debilitating symptoms I was experiencing, I have such anxiety and stress that I often recoil into myself in my room, as I found I was a shell of what I used to be academically. It resulted in extreme anxiety, sleepless nights, diarrhea, and frequent bouts of stress. I hid all that I was experiencing from my mom, brother, and friends. I felt ashamed. I felt like a failure. I was afraid to be seen as a failure. Feeling isolated and not having anyone to share this aberration with was debilitating. I am not used to not doing well academically and being ostracized by peers. I had made smooth transitions - both academically and socially - to academically rigorous programs before. Not being able to do schoolwork is out of character for me. I finally had the courage to tell my mom all that has been happening to me and we have been in talks with Queen's since spring of 2019. I am currently undergoing a psychological assessment to ascertain the tools needed to best support my learning at Queen's and beyond. A psychological assessment was in the works for spring of 2019 at Queen's but was abruptly postponed due to the pandemic and everyone having to leave campus. Then it was cancelled this current school year due to the continuing pandemic. As such, my mom sought to do a private assessment, which is currently ongoing. Our hope is that this assessment will shed light on what is happening to me and provide all the tools needed for success at Queen's and beyond. I just want my old self back - my happiness and capability to soar academically like I know that I can.
Sincerely,
Lee Wallace