Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean,
My name is Bronwynn Simpson, and I am a current fourth year student majoring in health studies. I am petitioning for credit standing courses on my transcript for winter semester of 2022. The winter semester of 2022 does not reflect my efforts here at Queen’s or the student I am. I succeed in all my classes and am a hardworking individual. I happened to have extenuating circumstances during this time period that have had lasting effects on me.
During my second year at Queen’s my grandmother fell extremely ill unexpectedly and passed away on December 24th, 2021. This was during a very high level of COVID-19 cases and due to this, I was unable to see her. When she fell ill, I thought this was something she would get through and so I did not put my life on pause. I continued to study for my exams while she was in the hospital, calling her when I could. My housemates ended up testing positive for COVID in the exam period, so I had to defer my exams. This pushed my exams to the following weeks after her passing. The following semester was filled with challenge and grief that I could not seem to shake. My life was filled with the overarching guilt and sadness that I never had the chance to say goodbye to her. As you can imagine, my life was challenging in more ways than one and my academics suffered the consequences.
To many, grandparents are special people in their lives but to me, there are not enough words to describe the importance of this woman in my life. She is the inspiration for everything I do and I see her amazing qualities manifesting in everyone lucky enough to know her. My parents had very demanding careers with my mother being a doctor at Sickkids and my father running his own chiropractic clinic. Luckily my grandmother lived fifteen minutes away, so she looked after my brother and I, helping raise us when my parents were busy. From picking us up from school to sleepovers on the weekends, she was there through every step of my life. She watched me grow up and wished me the best when I was sent to university. Those who were lucky enough to know my grandmother often referred to her as a caring individual with enough joy to light up a room. People would always tell me how much my grandmother spoke about me and with such love and joy, and the feeling was more than mutual. To know my grandmother was to love her, even if you just met her in passing. My grandmother taught me some of my most important life lessons making me the person I am today. She had five grandchildren total with me being the youngest. I was often left out from the rest as I was quite a bit younger, but she had the ability to make me feel like the most special one there. She is one of the most influential people on my life and I cannot express how lucky I am to have had her in my life.
This was a devastating loss and turned my entire world upside down with a long road of grief ahead. I have always been a very academically driven individual and did not think twice about continuing my studies after her passing. I was not emotionally ready to accept my reality and the fact that this loss would have such an impact on my life. I tried to continue through my studies despite the struggles I was going through. With the little experience I have with grief, I did not know the best way to handle myself. I was navigating through an extremely difficult time period in my life, with classes being online, COVID cases rising and a recent loss of my grandmother. With all that was going on in the world I did not feel as though I had time to pause my life and reflect on anything.
These grades are a poor reflection of the student I am and the work I have poured into my degree. I am hoping that there is a way to change the narrative of that academic year and turn it into something I can reflect on without so much regret. This is the reason I am reaching out to petition to appeal these grades and get them credit standing.
I thank you for your consideration in advance.
Sincerely,
Bronwynn Simpson.
My name is Bronwynn Simpson, and I am a current fourth year student majoring in health studies. I am petitioning for credit standing courses on my transcript for winter semester of 2022. The winter semester of 2022 does not reflect my efforts here at Queen’s or the student I am. I succeed in all my classes and am a hardworking individual. I happened to have extenuating circumstances during this time period that have had lasting effects on me.
During my second year at Queen’s my grandmother fell extremely ill unexpectedly and passed away on December 24th, 2021. This was during a very high level of COVID-19 cases and due to this, I was unable to see her. When she fell ill, I thought this was something she would get through and so I did not put my life on pause. I continued to study for my exams while she was in the hospital, calling her when I could. My housemates ended up testing positive for COVID in the exam period, so I had to defer my exams. This pushed my exams to the following weeks after her passing. The following semester was filled with challenge and grief that I could not seem to shake. My life was filled with the overarching guilt and sadness that I never had the chance to say goodbye to her. As you can imagine, my life was challenging in more ways than one and my academics suffered the consequences.
To many, grandparents are special people in their lives but to me, there are not enough words to describe the importance of this woman in my life. She is the inspiration for everything I do and I see her amazing qualities manifesting in everyone lucky enough to know her. My parents had very demanding careers with my mother being a doctor at Sickkids and my father running his own chiropractic clinic. Luckily my grandmother lived fifteen minutes away, so she looked after my brother and I, helping raise us when my parents were busy. From picking us up from school to sleepovers on the weekends, she was there through every step of my life. She watched me grow up and wished me the best when I was sent to university. Those who were lucky enough to know my grandmother often referred to her as a caring individual with enough joy to light up a room. People would always tell me how much my grandmother spoke about me and with such love and joy, and the feeling was more than mutual. To know my grandmother was to love her, even if you just met her in passing. My grandmother taught me some of my most important life lessons making me the person I am today. She had five grandchildren total with me being the youngest. I was often left out from the rest as I was quite a bit younger, but she had the ability to make me feel like the most special one there. She is one of the most influential people on my life and I cannot express how lucky I am to have had her in my life.
This was a devastating loss and turned my entire world upside down with a long road of grief ahead. I have always been a very academically driven individual and did not think twice about continuing my studies after her passing. I was not emotionally ready to accept my reality and the fact that this loss would have such an impact on my life. I tried to continue through my studies despite the struggles I was going through. With the little experience I have with grief, I did not know the best way to handle myself. I was navigating through an extremely difficult time period in my life, with classes being online, COVID cases rising and a recent loss of my grandmother. With all that was going on in the world I did not feel as though I had time to pause my life and reflect on anything.
These grades are a poor reflection of the student I am and the work I have poured into my degree. I am hoping that there is a way to change the narrative of that academic year and turn it into something I can reflect on without so much regret. This is the reason I am reaching out to petition to appeal these grades and get them credit standing.
I thank you for your consideration in advance.
Sincerely,
Bronwynn Simpson.