Local radio DJ Chen Qijia has revealed that she dropped out of school at 16.
While it “felt like the end” at the time, the 33-year-old ultimately realised she had “found a different path forward”.
In a social media video on Sunday (Sept 6), the Yes933 DJ talked about the experience, attributing her decision to “attendance issues, anxiety around school and a difficult home environment”.
In the post, she wrote: “The heart of my story: Dropping out wasn’t giving up. I simply found a different path forward.”
Describing herself as a “quiet, shy and well-mannered student”, Qijia had decent grades growing up but struggled with school attendance.
“For a very, very, very long time, I had this unexplained fear and anxiety about going to school. In the morning, I would wake up with heart palpitations or I would even feel nauseous just at the thought of going to school.
“On top of that, no one really knew what was going on at home. I was living in a very emotionally volatile environment,” she said, adding that the police and ambulances would also show up at her home on “more serious days”.
“As a teenager, I couldn’t really figure out what was going on, much less know how to express it to anyone, tell anyone about it or seek help.”
‘Felt like I couldn’t really fit’
In Secondary 4, Qijia’s principal had to remove her name from the school system, telling her that he could not justify her enrolment because of her poor attendance. It would also set a bad example to other students.
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