Shanghai Alumni Founders Share Wisdom and Make Connections

0422 Shanghai Alumni Founders Panel Header

Apr 22, 2025

Last week, over 50 Shanghai American School alumni, spanning 20 years of SAS graduating classes, came together on Wukang Road to catch up with former classmates and make new connections within the SAS Alumni Community. Head of School James Nelligan kicked off the evening with an update on SAS and the highlight of the evening was the Alumni Founders Panel where Jackson Cheng ‘05, Cathy Hsu ‘03, Lisa Ou ‘04, and Barbara Poppell ‘04 spoke about the highs and lows of being business founders in Shanghai.

Panelists shared their honest and raw experiences building businesses from the ground up, all of them fueled by a deep passion for what they do, which keeps them pushing forward through the various challenges of growing a business. They emphasized the need for continuous learning, as each stage of their business growth brought new challenges and required them to build a different skill set. These Eagles truly exemplify the SAS mission to inspire a lifelong passion for learning and the courage to live their dreams. Everyone in attendance was left inspired not only by their triumphs, but also by their persistence and adaptability.

"SAS’s alumni event was a treasure trove of experiences. The insights from our accomplished alumni have left me brimming with new ideas, and I loved the chance to catch up with old friends,” shared Anny Chen ‘07 and current SAS grade one parent. “It's events like these that remind me of the incredible community we're a part of."

Alumni ended the evening exchanging contact information, making plans to meet up and buzzing about future gatherings - reminded that their bond as SAS Eagles is deep and enduring. “This event was a great chance to catch up with old friends, but I also appreciated the opportunity to get to know a younger generation of SAS alumni,” said Frank Hartanto ‘03. “We graduated 10, 15, even 20 years apart but have so many shared experiences - from APAC tournaments to Dr. Yuen’s math class - it was amazing to hear how things have grown and evolved over the past two decades since I was a student.”