Appeal

Sir, may I humbly request for your kind consideration and allow me to enroll this semester at the College of Law in order for me to finish my law degree. According to Prof. Lumba, I may not enroll due to the double probation rule of the College of Law.

However, may I be allowed to point out that my grades have been slowly but steadily improving despite my extremely difficult personal circumstances.

Sir, I humbly ask that you allow me to continue with my studies at the College. I believe that my extraordinarily difficult circumstances have made it extremely difficult for me to cope with the rigors of law studies.

Foremost of my difficulties is the fact that when I enrolled in the College of Law my son was just diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Thus while I was starting and adjusting to my law studies, I had to attend to my son as he underwent intensive chemotherapy for one whole year.

On top of the symptoms of his illness, he had to contend with severe side effects brought on by the chemo drugs like drastically weakened immune system and drug-induced alopecia. My son stopped schooling for one year because he underwent chemotherapy daily and we had to deal with the adverse effects of the medicine. His condition became even worse when he was often confined for numerous infections. I feared greatly for his life because given the gravity of his illness, even the common cold could be fatal.

For weeks on end, we would stay in the hospital until he was stable enough to be cared for at home. I frequently went to class coming from the hospital and straight back to my son’s side after classes were over. My very difficult first year of law school was also the time when I was undergoing a difficult pregnancy with my third child.




But I forged on knowing that taking up law studies is one of my goals in life, notwithstanding my very difficult personal circumstances. Too many times, I wanted to quit and just devote myself to the care and rearing of my children, particularly my son who was still being treated for leukemia.

Things at home were made more difficult because although my husband is around most of the time, the tasks of primary childcare fell solely on me. When he is away on long business trips, I had to assume the responsibilities of both mother and father.

Thus, like a vicious cycle, the chronic depression stemming from my son’s sickness was made worse by how badly I was doing at the College.

But it was my family, my kids in particular, who encouraged me to go on, because they know that pursuing and succeeding in my law studies is one way for me to be a better mother to them and ultimately, a better and more complete person.

Indeed it is ironic that the rigors of law school helped me cope with my problems because it took my mind off the other harsher realities in my life.

Now, my son has finished his three years of chemotherapy and is back in school like the happy boy he was before he got sick. My grades are also improving greatly as evidenced by my 1.81 GWA this past semester.

Sir, my kids and I had high hopes for all of us this year. We were gearing up for a big year this year because should my son hurdle this year up until second quarter of 2010, he will already be declared cured from his illness.

That means he would be free from innumerable and endless blood tests and even more painful bone marrow extractions. This year, my daughter would also finish grade school and my youngest child his first year of school. I would also have completed my law studies.

Sir, I am already in my fifth year and it is something I am supremely proud of, having gone this far given all the trials I have been through to get here.

I also just finished summer OLA with quite possibly one of the heaviest caseloads I inherited from four previous interns. I have completed most of the core courses and the required number of electives for the degree. I am almost done and I only need to take OLA 2, Tax, Succession and Supervised Legal Research.

I humbly appeal for your kind consideration to allow me to enroll this semester. I have gone through all the four years, barely making it past the required grade point average despite my very difficult circumstances.

I am almost at the finish line and the GWA I have now is something that I worked so hard for considering the endless stumbling blocks thrown at me along the way.

I also know that finishing the degree is just the beginning, as I set my sights and gather my bearings for the even greater challenge of hurdling the bar exams.

Sir, allow me to make the solemn promise that I will only take the bar exams when I feel that I am sufficiently prepared to do so. I have gone too far amidst so many challenges to rush taking the bar. I owe it to my children, for all their love and support all these years, that I will only take the bar once and succeed on the first try.

I also understand and acknowledge any academic units that I enroll while my appeal is pending with the Appeals Committee headed by the Dean of the College of Law will be considered void should the Committee decide against allowing me to re-enroll in the College.

I therefore ask that you kindly consider my appeal for another chance to prove myself worthy of graduating from this great institution.

Thank you very much.