Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Megan Lingarkar
1293 Golden Way
Los Altos, California, US, 94024
16ml3@queensu.ca
650.305.5052
October, 24, 2024

Dear Associate Dean,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to request permission to complete the remaining 12 units required for my degree program, along with the 15 elective units, through online courses. This is so I can change my degree from a Civil Engineering Degree, to a Bachelor’s of Science in Math. This decision has not come lightly, and I have met with Student Wellness Services (Laurie Hooke) and Haley Everson from Art/Sci to identify the best steps moving forward.

I understand the importance of earning my degree and want my hard work in engineering to culminate in a meaningful achievement. Throughout my journey, I have faced significant challenges, including two abusive relationships. After freeing myself from the first, I encountered another person who was emotionally and mentally abusive, culminating in the theft of my service animal, which was taken to New York, United States from Kingston, Ontario. This has underscored the gravity of my situation and the resilience I’ve had to muster. I had to remove myself from school once again and move to the United States to go to civil court in an effort to get my service animal back, as, in domestic situations, my service animal was unfortunately considered property. While I was in New York, where she was taken, I worked with my therapist to improve my mental health by practicing better ways to control my emotions and develop healthier habits. I was able to achieve significant progress.

After a long battle in court, I was able to recover my service animal. During this time, I moved to California to be closer to my parents while I decided what to do with my degree. Through this experience, I have realized that returning to Kingston would not be beneficial to my mental or physical health and that my academics would greatly suffer. The environment in California that I have made for myself has been instrumental in my progress toward mental stability, and I believe that pursuing my studies online would allow me to maintain this progress while still achieving my academic goals.

I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to continue my education online to complete my remaining units. Thank you for considering my request, and I am happy to discuss this further at your convenience. (Please see other attached document for full petition letter as I could not fit it in this box!)