YES 933 DJ Chen Qijia Reveals She Dropped Out Of School At 16 — But Not Because Of Her Grades

Listeners know Chen Qijia as one of the bubbly voices on YES 933. What many probably don't know is that the radio jock dropped out of school at 16.

On Sunday (Sep 6), Qijia took to Instagram to open up about a difficult period in her teenage years, revealing that she left school in Secondary 4 after struggling with poor attendance.

She describes her younger self as a quiet, shy and obedient student who had decent grades. But going to school became increasingly difficult. "For a very long time I had this unexplained fear and anxiety about going to school," she said. 

Some mornings, she would have heart palpitations and feel nauseous at just the thought about going to school.

At the same time, things at home weren't easy either. "I was living in a very emotionally volatile environment. On more serious days, the ambulance and police would show up at our house," she elaborated.

"As a teenager, I didn't really understand what was happening, much less know how to express myself, tell someone about it, or ask for help," she shared. 

Eventually, her attendance suffered. By Secondary 4, Qijia had missed so much school that her principal eventually removed her name from the school's system.

Leaving school, however, didn't mean Qijia stopped studying.

That same year, she registered for the O-Levels as a private candidate and went on to score 16 points.

She subsequently enrolled in Temasek Polytechnic before going on to study Chinese Language and Literature at Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), where she worked while studying to pay her school fees.

There was just one problem. It clashed with her evening classes, and she she eventually decided to put university on hold and pursue the opportunity in radio.

Qijia joined YES 933 as a part-time DJ in 2019 before eventually becoming a full-time jock. She currently hosts evening programme Shuang Jie Kun Jia alongside Kunhua and Hazelle Teo.

Quite a journey for someone who, at 16, thought leaving school meant she had reached the end of the road. But now, Qijia now sees it very differently.

"Dropping out of school wasn't giving up. I just found another way forward,” she said. 

Qijia also said she hasn't ruled out returning to university either and says she may pursue psychology or counselling in future.

But perhaps the biggest sign of how much things have changed is where work sometimes takes her these days. Back to school.

The teenager who once struggled just to go to school now occasionally returns to schools to share her experiences with students and offer encouragement to those who may have their own struggles. 

It's also part of why she's finally choosing to speak publicly about what happened to her all those years ago.

Her message is for anyone who feels as though their life isn't following the same timeline or route as everyone else's.

"If you've ever felt that the path you're on is different from everyone else's, don't compare yourself to others. Remember, there's more than one way to reach your destination. As long as you don't give up, you'll eventually get to where you want to be,” she said.