Actress and television icon Nana Ama McBrown has opened up on a deeply personal chapter of her life, that is, dropping out of school due to unpaid fees.

In a candid conversation on TV3’s New Day with Berla Mundi, McBrown revealed that her formal education ended before she could complete her first year of secondary school.

“I started at Prince of Peace Girls, but I couldn’t finish Form 1,” she shared. “I didn’t pay my school fees, and I was so embarrassed. I just felt like, ‘This is not me. Let me step out.’”

McBrown’s voice carried both strength and vulnerability as she recalled how classmates would look at her whenever a teacher entered the room.

“Everybody would turn and look at me because they knew I was going home. At that time, we were young, so we couldn’t see that things would eventually get better. I just felt like it was a disgrace,” she stated.

Despite the setback, the Onua Showtime host refused to let the shame define her.

She later enrolled in the College of Business Studies—primarily to save face—even though she admitted that deep down, she knew the certificate wouldn’t significantly impact her career.

“I enrolled in the College of Business Studies, Berla, knowing that I would not need that certificate for anything. But people kept asking the question—‘Why are you not in school?’—and I felt embarrassed,” she added.