Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 13337
Submitted: June 11, 2025 at 11:55:24 PM
First Name: Andrew
Last Name: Quiroz
Pronoun: He/Him
Preferred Name: Andrew
Student Number: 20473493
Email: quirozandrew921@gmail.com
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: N/A
Level of Study: 1
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (academic),
I am petitioning the Arts and Science faculty’s decision that I must withdraw from Queen’s for a year. During the 24/25 academic year there were a number of factors that contributed to my poor performance such as the ongoing strikes and my anxiety plus some trauma that came back to haunt me during exam season. When it comes to doing tasks and assignments I procrastinated due to a few factors and could not find a way to organize myself in a timely manner when it came to finishing these tasks. Each time I would start an assignment I would get so anxious thinking that I could/would make a mistake in my writing or test taking skills to the point where I would not even start the assignment or if I had submitted due to fear of making a mistake. In high school this never happened so it was new to me but I had not realized how bad of an issue it became till near the end of the second semester this year. Just recently I consulted a therapist/psychologist to figure out how to combat this, and to see if it's also some other form of anxiety or something else and solutions to fix it so that it doesn’t happen again in the next term. Another factor that contributed to poor performance was the union strikes happening near the mid-end of term two this year. This further contributed to my anxiety as I did not know what the outcome of it would be as did many, and I could not focus on my studying during exam season due to the noise from the protests and strikes plus had no idea what to prioritize and what would be graded further confusing me and spiking my anxiety up. Some trauma also came back although I thought it had been resolved prior. In February of 2023 I had a car accident. Everything was taken care of legally however I had always had a bit of nightmares and trauma surrounding the incident over time it went away slowly and I began to heal however during this uncertain time it came back. With all the strikes and my anxiety this trauma came back just as exam season hit, I couldn’t focus or do anything every time I would get a nightmare and then be anxious about my work plus the noise it was just too much for me to handle I stopped going to tutorials and didn’t ask for help because I thought I could handle it on my own however that was not the case. As stated before I am now consulting therapists about my anxiety and if they need to diagnose me with any other condition and to help me focus on my trauma and more healing regarding it as well. This will help me in the future when it comes to dealing with the anxiety and trauma if it comes up again and to figure out strategies to focus on my tasks at hand whether that is assignments or anything else as my anxiety also got in the way of a few other tasks during this academic year. I also have an academic plan ready as well beneath this petition.
Thanks for reading,
Andrew Quiroz
Queens student
I am petitioning the Arts and Science faculty’s decision that I must withdraw from Queen’s for a year. During the 24/25 academic year there were a number of factors that contributed to my poor performance such as the ongoing strikes and my anxiety plus some trauma that came back to haunt me during exam season. When it comes to doing tasks and assignments I procrastinated due to a few factors and could not find a way to organize myself in a timely manner when it came to finishing these tasks. Each time I would start an assignment I would get so anxious thinking that I could/would make a mistake in my writing or test taking skills to the point where I would not even start the assignment or if I had submitted due to fear of making a mistake. In high school this never happened so it was new to me but I had not realized how bad of an issue it became till near the end of the second semester this year. Just recently I consulted a therapist/psychologist to figure out how to combat this, and to see if it's also some other form of anxiety or something else and solutions to fix it so that it doesn’t happen again in the next term. Another factor that contributed to poor performance was the union strikes happening near the mid-end of term two this year. This further contributed to my anxiety as I did not know what the outcome of it would be as did many, and I could not focus on my studying during exam season due to the noise from the protests and strikes plus had no idea what to prioritize and what would be graded further confusing me and spiking my anxiety up. Some trauma also came back although I thought it had been resolved prior. In February of 2023 I had a car accident. Everything was taken care of legally however I had always had a bit of nightmares and trauma surrounding the incident over time it went away slowly and I began to heal however during this uncertain time it came back. With all the strikes and my anxiety this trauma came back just as exam season hit, I couldn’t focus or do anything every time I would get a nightmare and then be anxious about my work plus the noise it was just too much for me to handle I stopped going to tutorials and didn’t ask for help because I thought I could handle it on my own however that was not the case. As stated before I am now consulting therapists about my anxiety and if they need to diagnose me with any other condition and to help me focus on my trauma and more healing regarding it as well. This will help me in the future when it comes to dealing with the anxiety and trauma if it comes up again and to figure out strategies to focus on my tasks at hand whether that is assignments or anything else as my anxiety also got in the way of a few other tasks during this academic year. I also have an academic plan ready as well beneath this petition.
Thanks for reading,
Andrew Quiroz
Queens student
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: I will consider seeking advice from academic advisors on easier course loads/lighter course loads plus consult them and ask of other steps about dealing with anxiety when it comes to course work and assignments/exams
Learn how to manage time better with the anxiety and any mental blockages that come up but also to hone my skills on time management and complete work with no procrastination or anxious thoughts blocking my ability to do so by consulting a learning strategist at SASS and talking to academic advisors in this too.
Go to office hours to consult instructors on deadlines and circumstances as well plus to advise them of my anxiety and ways they think can help it as well.
I will also speak to them about keeping up on top of things such as attending all lectures and tutorials with my anxiety and their own experiences if they had any, on dealing with it as well.
Continuing to consult my therapist about solutions on dealing with anxiety and trauma healing and ways to get around it and reduce it
Thai will help me overcome this mental blockage for the next few years and continue to grow as a student and learn new methods on dealing with the problem if it ever comes back (highly unlikely though as the solution the therapist gives should reduce this by a high percentage)
Lighter course loads as stated earlier such as doing more courses that are less stressful for my anxiety such as music courses which I am more passionate about and less written work as well would be better as one way of tackling the problem at the moment.
I would also take summer and spring courses to spread the course loads evenly and to not overwhelm myself and my anxiety, and to retake any courses that are prerequisites for the program I want to get into which is history major and music minor.
Take the failed courses in the summer and spring terms and to catch up in third year take a light course such as the choir singing course to catch up credits and to boost my gpa.
Any light course work and lighter course loads throughout fall and winter terms should also reduce anxiety levels which would be helpful especially if there is another strike I would have solutions to work around my anxiety levels due to it.
This all will allow me to succeed at University in the future years and help me achive my end goal to become a teacher of sorts in the education system.
Learn how to manage time better with the anxiety and any mental blockages that come up but also to hone my skills on time management and complete work with no procrastination or anxious thoughts blocking my ability to do so by consulting a learning strategist at SASS and talking to academic advisors in this too.
Go to office hours to consult instructors on deadlines and circumstances as well plus to advise them of my anxiety and ways they think can help it as well.
I will also speak to them about keeping up on top of things such as attending all lectures and tutorials with my anxiety and their own experiences if they had any, on dealing with it as well.
Continuing to consult my therapist about solutions on dealing with anxiety and trauma healing and ways to get around it and reduce it
Thai will help me overcome this mental blockage for the next few years and continue to grow as a student and learn new methods on dealing with the problem if it ever comes back (highly unlikely though as the solution the therapist gives should reduce this by a high percentage)
Lighter course loads as stated earlier such as doing more courses that are less stressful for my anxiety such as music courses which I am more passionate about and less written work as well would be better as one way of tackling the problem at the moment.
I would also take summer and spring courses to spread the course loads evenly and to not overwhelm myself and my anxiety, and to retake any courses that are prerequisites for the program I want to get into which is history major and music minor.
Take the failed courses in the summer and spring terms and to catch up in third year take a light course such as the choir singing course to catch up credits and to boost my gpa.
Any light course work and lighter course loads throughout fall and winter terms should also reduce anxiety levels which would be helpful especially if there is another strike I would have solutions to work around my anxiety levels due to it.
This all will allow me to succeed at University in the future years and help me achive my end goal to become a teacher of sorts in the education system.
Decision Letters
History
Originally submitted June 11, 2025 at 11:55:24 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Incomplete | Kerri Andrews | 2025-06-13 2:52:03 PM | |
| status | N/A | Incomplete | Withdrawn | Kerri Andrews | 2025-06-23 2:39:49 PM | |
| status | N/A | Withdrawn | Incomplete | Kerri Andrews | 2025-08-07 10:50:59 AM | |
| status | N/A | Incomplete | In Review | Kerri Andrews | 2025-08-07 10:52:36 AM | |
| status | N/A | In Review | Granted | Kerri Andrews | 2025-09-12 9:59:48 AM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic) | Kerri Andrews | 2025-09-12 9:59:48 AM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Kerri Andrews | 2025-09-12 10:00:24 AM |