Oscar Lu: designer and founder, Princeton '30
SC. 00 · Cold open
I cold-emailed Harvard Basketball at 13. They said yes.
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SC. 01 · 2008–2020
Los Angeles, CA
The hustle before the hustle
I grew up in LA with my twin brother, Victor. At 8 I was selling orange juice. At 10 it was phone accessories on eBay.
- Orange juice stand, age 8
- eBay store, age 10
- A Better Chance Scholar, 2018
SC. 03 · 2021–2022
Cambridge, MA (by email)
Harvard said yes
At 13, with an improvised portfolio, I emailed Harvard Men's Basketball. A few emails later we were on a call, and by the end of it we were in business: four years of recruiting graphics, social and arena work.
At 14 I turned it into Oscar Lu Design Co. I led a four-person team, worked with Big Baller Brand, and ran it to five-figure profit before closing it after high school.
- 4-year client: Harvard Men's Basketball
- Big Baller Brand
- Five-figure profit
“That one bold move gave me the confidence to launch my own design agency.”
"Let's get on a call."
SC. 04 · 2021–2025
Przemyśl, Poland → Dublin
“What are you doing about it?”
When Russia invaded Ukraine, my dad and I talked about it every day. He asked what I was doing about it. Within a week we decided to raise money and booked the flights, then spent seven days at a refugee center in Przemyśl, Poland, on the Ukrainian border.
Meanwhile I was building the tech behind International Youth Tobacco Control. I cold-emailed Google and Wix for funding and directed a WHO film that Dr. Tedros shared with 4M+ people.
- 7 days · 14-hour shifts · 400 bedding sets a day
- $25K+ from Google & Wix
- WHO film shared to 4M+
- Presented at the World Conference on Tobacco Control, Dublin
“If you wanted to, you could. (Martin, a volunteer I met at the border)”
SC. 05 · 2022–2026
Church Farm School, Exton, PA
First night under the sheets
I arrived at an all-boys boarding school in Pennsylvania knowing nobody but my twin. The first night I hid under my sheets until classmates introduced themselves over fruit snacks.
Four years later I gave the valedictorian speech. In between I revived the school magazine and got it printed for the first time in a decade, served as class co-president, captained lacrosse to the championship game, and built an outdoor program from zero into a J-Term course.
- Valedictorian · 4.0 · 1540 SAT
- DECA Pennsylvania State Champion
- Magazine EIC · 40-person team · $3K raised
- Lacrosse captain · All-League First Team
SC. 07 · 2026
Princeton, NJ
Playing in the arena
This summer I sold cars at Toyota Southern California. Then I found one wilderness permit left for Yosemite, bought it, and two days later I was at the trailhead alone.
Now I'm at Princeton. In my first week the orientation socials were flat, so I pitched ten friends, had a slip 'n slide Instacarted to campus, and 200+ freshmen showed up.
- Princeton '30 · Economics
- Sales intern · Toyota SoCal
- 5-day solo trip, Yosemite
- 200+ at the slip 'n slide
Oscar on a granite summit above the Yosemite high country.
Yosemite · summer 2026
Five days alone, planned two days out.
With two weeks before college, I found one wilderness permit left for Yosemite, bought it, and was at the trailhead alone two days later. I went to prove I could do it by myself, but people I met on the trail ended up joining me for Clouds Rest at sunset and Half Dome the next day.
Honestly, that's how I do most things: say yes first, figure out the rest on the way. Not a bad five days.