Petition Letter
To whom it may concern,
During the fall semester of 2021, I was unable to complete the semester due to an increase in severity of my major depressive disorder. I have been battling with depression for 6 years and have struggled with ADHD my whole life. Over the course of the last two years an immense increase of stress in my life has caused my depressive symptoms to become very overwhelming. To give you a vague idea; in the last two years my dad welcomed my half-brother into the world with a woman my dad now has a legal binding agreement with in which they can only communicate via email because she is abusive towards my father. I had to cut my mom out of my life completely due to her physiologically abusive behavior (she kicked me out of the house twice; once because I didn??t walk my dog the way she wanted and the other time because I misplaced a key to our condo). Cutting my mom out of my life also meant cutting myself off financially from her. Finally, I got so bullied by my roommates because I could not spend enough time with them between balancing school and my job that I had to move out and now am struggling to make new friends. As a means to try to take control over my life I worked 80hr work weeks this past summer so I could support myself without having to deal with my parents. This was great as I no longer had to live in either of the stressful environments of my parent??s houses, however I managed to completely burn myself out. Upon returning to school last fall, I became suicidal, I did everything in my power to push through the pain and exhaustion I was feeling; I wasn??t drinking or partying, I was working out three times a week and feeding myself 3 good healthy meals a day. But still, I could not escape daily episodes of crying and panic attacks. Out of options I returned home to live with my Dad, who has thankfully become a lot more supportive of my situation since he has been able to distance himself from my brother??s mom. I spent pretty much all of November and December in bed and searching for therapists and psychiatrists that could help me get back on my feet. My apologies for the blunt detail. I was able to switch the medication I am on and started doing a new type of therapy called DBT. I see my therapist once a week. I am feeling better but remaining cautious as I do not want to fall into another dark depression.
To back track, myself and my phycologist decided that I would not be able to finish the semester after the drop course deadline. Thus, the semester went on and I was unable to submit any course work or attend my final exams. Currently my transcript shows either and IN or F on those courses and I am appealing to have them dropped. All of the courses I was enrolled in last semester are mandatory for my degree plan in which I am majoring in economics and minoring in environmental studies. Meaning, I will have to re-take all of those courses again. I am hoping that because of my extenuating circumstances that you will also consider giving me a financial credit towards re-taking those classes as I did not submit any work for them and was unable to attend the lectures. Thus, minimal resources were used in having me enrolled in those classes and paying for those courses again will cause me a large financial strain.
I know these hardships are making me stronger and building resilience I will lean back for the rest of my life. I have learned valuable lessons over the last two years and although it has been painful I am grateful for the perspective I have gained. I am glad I took the time off of school to get as better as I can and I know I will continue to strive to be a student that Queen's is proud to call their own. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering my appeal. Please feel free to call me at 647-971-9865 if you would like any clarification on the information I have provided.
Kindly,
Zoë Peres
During the fall semester of 2021, I was unable to complete the semester due to an increase in severity of my major depressive disorder. I have been battling with depression for 6 years and have struggled with ADHD my whole life. Over the course of the last two years an immense increase of stress in my life has caused my depressive symptoms to become very overwhelming. To give you a vague idea; in the last two years my dad welcomed my half-brother into the world with a woman my dad now has a legal binding agreement with in which they can only communicate via email because she is abusive towards my father. I had to cut my mom out of my life completely due to her physiologically abusive behavior (she kicked me out of the house twice; once because I didn??t walk my dog the way she wanted and the other time because I misplaced a key to our condo). Cutting my mom out of my life also meant cutting myself off financially from her. Finally, I got so bullied by my roommates because I could not spend enough time with them between balancing school and my job that I had to move out and now am struggling to make new friends. As a means to try to take control over my life I worked 80hr work weeks this past summer so I could support myself without having to deal with my parents. This was great as I no longer had to live in either of the stressful environments of my parent??s houses, however I managed to completely burn myself out. Upon returning to school last fall, I became suicidal, I did everything in my power to push through the pain and exhaustion I was feeling; I wasn??t drinking or partying, I was working out three times a week and feeding myself 3 good healthy meals a day. But still, I could not escape daily episodes of crying and panic attacks. Out of options I returned home to live with my Dad, who has thankfully become a lot more supportive of my situation since he has been able to distance himself from my brother??s mom. I spent pretty much all of November and December in bed and searching for therapists and psychiatrists that could help me get back on my feet. My apologies for the blunt detail. I was able to switch the medication I am on and started doing a new type of therapy called DBT. I see my therapist once a week. I am feeling better but remaining cautious as I do not want to fall into another dark depression.
To back track, myself and my phycologist decided that I would not be able to finish the semester after the drop course deadline. Thus, the semester went on and I was unable to submit any course work or attend my final exams. Currently my transcript shows either and IN or F on those courses and I am appealing to have them dropped. All of the courses I was enrolled in last semester are mandatory for my degree plan in which I am majoring in economics and minoring in environmental studies. Meaning, I will have to re-take all of those courses again. I am hoping that because of my extenuating circumstances that you will also consider giving me a financial credit towards re-taking those classes as I did not submit any work for them and was unable to attend the lectures. Thus, minimal resources were used in having me enrolled in those classes and paying for those courses again will cause me a large financial strain.
I know these hardships are making me stronger and building resilience I will lean back for the rest of my life. I have learned valuable lessons over the last two years and although it has been painful I am grateful for the perspective I have gained. I am glad I took the time off of school to get as better as I can and I know I will continue to strive to be a student that Queen's is proud to call their own. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering my appeal. Please feel free to call me at 647-971-9865 if you would like any clarification on the information I have provided.
Kindly,
Zoë Peres