Featured image courtesy of Jia Ning
At 12 years old, most students choosing their secondary schools would probably consider factors such as distance, cut-off points, or where their friends were going.
For Jesse Lorenz, however, his priority was considerably simpler: he wanted to be close to his crush, Jia Ning.
After getting a PSLE aggregate score of 209, Jesse listed Kent Ridge Secondary School (KRSS) — where Jia Ning was two years his senior — as his first and only choice.
His gamble paid off. He got into the school, the pair grew even closer, and eventually started dating.
More than a decade later, they are now husband and wife.
The best part? Jia Ning had no idea why Jesse had chosen her school until his father accidentally revealed the secret about 15 years later.
Jesse, now 27 and working as an IT specialist, first met Jia Ning, now 29, who works in animal care and as a freelance illustrator, at a neighbourhood basketball court in Bukit Batok in 2011.
He was 12 and she was 14 then. Jesse remembered thinking Jia Ning was “kind, pretty, and fun to be around”.
Her first impression of him was rather different though.
Source: @sheldonartory on Instagram
She remembered a “goofy kid” who kept singing the theme song from the animated television series ‘Phineas and Ferb’ while playing basketball, which was coincidentally, her favourite show at the time.
The pair soon became close through basketball, block catching, and perhaps, most importantly, Minecraft.
They would spend hours playing the game together every day.
Jia Ning did not have a crush on Jesse then, but he already liked her despite knowing that he might not stand much of a chance with someone two years older.
When it was time for Jesse to choose his six secondary schools after PSLE, he decided that KRSS would be his first and only choice as Jia Ning was studying there.
“I wanted to be closer to Jia Ning, as simple as that,” Jesse told MS News.
Source: Source: @sheldonartory on Instagram
Jesse also somehow managed to convince his parents that he chose KRSS simply because it was “a good school”.
It worked. After Jesse was accepted, Jia Ning offered to accompany him to school on his first day.
That one walk to school together eventually became an everyday routine.
Photo courtesy of Jia Ning
They also spent more time together after Jesse joined basketball as his co-curricular activity (CCA), giving them two training sessions a week together.
They were also both sports leaders and helped organise sporting events at school.
After being best friends for about a year, Jesse made the first move via SMS, and the two officially became a couple in Aug 2012.
Jia Ning told MS News that she only discovered the real story behind Jesse’s secondary school choice around 15 years later.
“We were having dinner at Jesse’s home and discussing secondary school choices because his youngest sister had just received her PSLE results,” she said.
Suddenly, Jesse’s father came running out of the kitchen while in the midst of washing dishes, his hands still covered in soap.
Source: @sheldonartory on Instagram
He then laughingly told them why his son had picked KRSS all those years ago.
Jia Ning was shocked. She found his decision “reckless” and wondered why his parents hadn’t questioned his choice, especially with other schools being closer to home.
Apparently, young Jesse convinced his parents back then by saying that KRSS “was a good school”.
Growing up together did not mean that their relationship was always straightforward.
The couple acknowledged that there were periods when they had to figure out what they wanted in life while they were both growing and changing.
After secondary school, Jia Ning went to Ngee Ann Polytechnic while Jesse later attended Singapore Polytechnic.
Busy schedules meant gaming once again became one of the ways they spent time together.
Later, Jesse enlisted for National Service (NS) while Jia Ning began working at the Singapore Zoo. It was during NS that Jesse became certain he wanted to marry her.
Image courtesy of Jia Ning
With limited time to communicate while in camp, he remembered how patiently Jia Ning waited for his book-outs and spent her free weekends with him.
“For me, it became clear to me that she was the one,” he said. For Jia Ning, the realisation came through quieter moments.
When her childhood dog, Pnut, was nearing the end of her life at 16, Jesse visited every day despite having to work.
They also played games such as chess together while she grieved, bringing her a sense of peace.
Jia Ning initially felt that a proposal was unnecessary since they already knew they would marry each other.
On their 10th anniversary, they even got ring tattoos and regarded that as an engagement. Jesse, however, still wanted to propose properly.
He eventually popped the question at Elephant Mountain in Taiwan, and the couple married in Aug 2025 on their 13th anniversary.
Looking back, both acknowledge that one secondary-school choice might have changed everything.
As two introverts, they believe they might have gradually drifted apart without the time and proximity that attending the same school afforded them.
Asked what he would tell his 12-year-old self filling in those six school choices, Jesse said: “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
I would even put KRSS for all six choices.
Jia Ning had a rather more practical response: “At least fill up six choices please.”
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Featured image courtesy of Jia Ning.