Alumni Legends｜The Founder: Lisa Ou

At Shanghai American School, it is our mission to help students develop a lifelong passion for learning and find the courage to live their dreams. For SAS alumna Lisa Ou ‘04, the founder of Maia Active, these two pursuits are inextricably intertwined.
 

At SAS, she was encouraged to pursue her love and natural talent for art and was introduced to the idea of fashion design as a career. Years later, after studying fashion design at Parsons School of Design, and designing for brands like J.Crew and Doo Ri, she developed a passion for sport and personal fitness. But she found there was a lack of stylish and functional athletic wear fitted for Asian female athletes – so she decided to make it herself, and Maia Active was born.
 

Lisa’s advice to current students, and anyone else finding their way, truly embodies the SAS spirit, “A lot of the time people are very goal driven in terms of results, but I think the most important thing is to find something you truly have passion for. When you have passion for something, it’s easier for you to continue and be persistent, to have curiosity and find fun in the process. Those things will take you to a further place because the process itself is enjoyable.”
 

Hear more of what Lisa had to share in the video below. We are inspired by her vision and her journey and can’t wait to see where her passions lead her next!