Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Having the ability to pursue higher education is a privilege, and something that I have always dreamed of doing from a young age. I have always found comfort in learning environments, being motivated by the challenges and personal growth that come with being a student. Coming to Queen¿¿s University in 2014 was a dream come true for me, as high school posed many challenges and hurdles. In the middle of my high school career, my father and I suffered in a serious rollover car accident on the highway. Though I was able to come out of it with only minor injuries, my father was seriously and critically injured. It was very uncertain if he was going to live He underwent numerous surgeries and was a patient in Kingston General Hospital for many months. His recovery process was very stressful for me when I was younger, but I was unable to receive help at the time, as all of my time was spent between studying and taking care of my family. I have a younger sister that needed emotional support and day to day care to make sure she could live at home and go to elementary school. Thankfully my father recovered over the next few years, and I was able to attend Queen¿¿s University.

My first year of university was quite successful academically, and I was excited that I could bounce back from a difficult time even though I still struggled from PTSD of the accident. However, right before my second year, my family was challenged again. A few weeks before the end of the summer, my mother faced a severe heart attack where she was in critical condition. She underwent bypass surgery, and unfortunately, this surgery had severe complications. My mother had a stroke during her surgery which added to the complications afterwards. We were optimistic about bypass surgery, but the worst had happened. This stroked changed everything. My mother was unable to walk, talk, or move parts on one side of her body. She was totally dependent on someone to be with her in the hospital or at home to take care of her. Also, her mood changed significantly and she was verbally not herself as she communicated with a lot of frustration with herself and her family. It was really sad for me to see my mom like this. It was like she was a completely different person from who I had known. This was very hard for me to take, and I felt the weight of this, and the weight of the PTSD of my car accident all come over me at once in my second year of 2015-2016. It was as if the whole world was coming down. I started to really become different in my day to day life, and act extremely uncharacteristic of myself. I lost my appetite, really withdrew from my friends and close ones, and almost every day would start crying as soon as got back to my room every day. I felt paralyzed most days, and would often consider just stopping crying and getting out of my room to be an accomplishment that took a lot of energy. I had never acted this way before and it really scared me how sad I felt every day. It was hard, because my main support system was my parents, but I couldn¿¿t talk to either of them as they were in their own recovery, and going through a lot of personal conflict with each other in this time. I remember feeling totally hopeless, and it was hard for me to focus on anything in my life, along with studying. I wish I could go back in time to get myself help, but I stayed to myself that situation and mental health really suffered. In 2015-2016 (2nd year), I got a D- in Organic Chemistry 281, and then received an F in Organic Chemistry 282. This was a really hard year for me, and I found it really hard to focus and thrive in academics, especially when compared to my academics in my first year. I felt so hopeless that I didn¿¿t get help. After my mother was discharged, it was only harder at home. I had to come home a lot in my second year and third year to take care of my mother and my little sister. Also, as a result of my mother¿¿s mood changes, and my father who had just recovered, my parents were in a lot conflict, and were in the talks of having a divorce. This was extremely hard for me, but I had to spend time helping my little sister emotionally and day to day. My third year brought with it optimism, but I found that the state of my mental health was inhibiting me from thriving academically. I unfortunately received an F in Organic Chemistry 281, F in Organic Chemistry 282, and a D- in BCHM 218. Along with being a full-time Biology Student, I also worked as a Residence Don and a Residence Facilitator in these years. As a result, these stressors did not allow me to focus on my academics in a way that truly reflected my true academic potential.

The start of my fourth year was great, and my family was doing a lot better. I received either an A- or A in all of my courses in my first semester of study in 4th year. I really started to feel like myself again after a rough patch in my life, and felt that I could concentrate on working hard again. My family was starting to shift back to normal. But I, unfortunately, felt the PTSD of the situation come back to me in my fourth year second semester. I started to really feel the impacts on my mental health the way in which I had felt before. It was as if it was coming back in a wave. Similar things started to happen again. I lost my appetite, lost a significant amount of weight, and felt the wave of sadness and hopelessness again. I found myself having intense flashbacks from the car accident, and had extended periods of uncontrollable low mood every day. It was so hard for me to just leave my room and start the day, and I felt really embarrassed by this. This forced me to miss a lot of class, and unfortunately, I received a F in Physics 117 in 2018. For instance, there would be many days where I would be in the library and feel so sad and low that I would have to rush home to not cry in public. I felt so hopeless, that I did not think an appeal for me would be believed, not to mention I misunderstood and did not know that I could appeal beyond 21 days. Once I became aware of this information, I started the appeal process.

I knew that my mental health was not where it was supposed to be, and I now started taking responsibility to reach out and get professional help.

I understood that this time around, I had to be proactive and manage my mental health so I could be in the best capability to be successful as a student and in my life. I decided to get help this time, and it made such a positive impact. I went to see my family doctor (Dr. Jennifer Webster) right away in April 2018, who said I was suffering from PTSD from the situation and cyclothymia depression. These feelings of worthlessness and no hope really impacted me from pursuing this appeal earlier. I saw a counsellor for the first time that summer in August of 2018, and then took the initiative to see a doctor throughout my final year at Queen¿¿s University (Dr. Carolyn Borins). Connecting with her was so important and made me feel heard. She gave me strategies to deal with how I was feeling, and though challenging still, I started to be able to manage my mental health. I am so thankful to have met a doctor like her, as her compassion reminded me on the hardest days that I was more than the state of my mental health. I also saw a counsellor with Student Wellness Services, and talking to her allowed me to find strategies to deal with how I was feeling, and gave me hope that being proactive now, could allow me to achieve anything I wanted. It would require a lot of hard work, and constant management of my health, which I have been doing now as I am more mature.

I finally understood the importance of my mental health, and in my 5th year (last year) and went to regular appointments with doctors and counsellors with Student Wellness Services. As a result, my final year GPA was 3.65. I know that if I could appeal the grades in my courses from earlier, it would have the ability to open doors for me, as my grades from the past in those courses did not represent my ability at all. I would be retaking all of those courses at a university this coming year to represent my true academic potential in a time where there are no extenuating circumstances in my life and now that I am managing my mental health. I hope to do a late drop of the failures of Organic Chemistry 281, Organic Chemistry 282, and Physics 117, and for a credit standing of the D- of Biochemistry 218 and Organic Chemistry 281. I am retaking these courses: Organic Chemistry 1, Organic Chemistry 2, Biochemistry, and Physics at a university this coming year now that I have managed my mental health. It will take a lot of hard work, but I know I can thrive academically now with getting constant help every step of the way, just as I did in my 2018-2019 year at Queen¿¿s. I know there are no shortcuts in life, but having this appeal accepted would allow my transcript to represent my true academic ability. I know that if I could go back in time, I would pursue the appeal earlier, but I truly felt so helpless, and so hopeless that I did not know if I would be believed. It was even difficult to write this appeal, but I¿¿m glad I did. I can only control the things that are ahead of me, and if anything, this hardship has taught me when getting help and managing my mental health every day, I can be academically successful with hard work. Thank you for taking the time to read this appeal.

It would be an honour and a privilege to be able to appeal those grades, and to use that pursue many opportunities in the future. All paperwork for my healthcare, my father¿¿s healthcare, and my mother¿¿s healthcare are being sent separately. Thank you for your consideration.

Ahzum Mujaddid