Presented by the service club ForHer

In an inconspicuous corner at SAS Pudong, the Security Office bustles with activity. From ensuring safety for the student body to supervising summer renovations that reinvigorate our school, Ms. Shirley Liu, SAS’s current Head of Security, is no stranger to the behind-the-scenes functioning of the Pudong campus.

In this interview, Ms. Liu takes us through her journey, diving deep into how she reached her current position, transitioning from being a landscape designer to the field of security, and words of advice she would give to young girls today.

Let’s hear her story…

Q1: Can you speak about your living and working experiences before coming to SAS?

A: I did not have much experience working in security before coming to SAS because I was working as a landscape designer before and then turned to HR searching. After taking a four-year break because I had to take care of my children, I came back to work and came to SAS.

Q2: That is a big jump! What motivated the transition from a landscape designer to the head of security?

A: It is a long story. I came to SAS to work as a projector, an engineer. Because I have experience working as a designer, I supervise the projects during summer breaks and winter breaks. I have worked in this area for about 6 or 7 years. The reason I jumped to the head of security part is because our security department in our school had no one to lead after the resignation of the previous security manager. Therefore, my supervisor moved me to this part temporally since we were not sure when they will have a new one to fill up this position. But this temporary turned to permanent. I do not have any experience for the security part, but my experience as a building designer and supervisor gave me a fair amount of experience with safety, so I draw my knowledge from there. 

Q3: Why did you decide to join the SAS community? What were some expectations you held, and how did our school live up to or deviate from these expectations?

A: I joined SAS because I want to come back to work, to rejoin society, because after a 4- year break you feel a sense of disconnection. Another thing is I like this environment and those kids, and I can see the kids grow up every year, which is a wonderful experience. Our school is moving on with the expectation, but of course some parts are not doing well. Not everything is perfect, so there are positives and negatives. However, I can still tell that SAS is moving in a good direction. Even though I enjoy working for the security department, I do not think I am very suitable for this position. When they moved me to this position, there was no announcement made. So, no one knew that I was in this position, which made the transition quite difficult. So, developing a more transparent communication system is something that I would love for our school to improve on. The awesome thing is that we can learn so much from daily work, just always try to improve, and do your best to fill up this position.

Q4: As a designer, the head of security, or project supervisor, can you elaborate how this experience has been like, whether positive or negative?

A: When I supervise the work and the constructors, I make sure that everything is on time, to check that everything is based on the design or based on what we agreed. I supervise the quality and quantity to make sure that everything is done correctly and to make sure that the school spent the money correctly. For the security side, I just try to secure all students within this campus, make sure that no strangers come in without any notification, and try to keep wild dogs and animals outside the campus. But as I mentioned before, I am still very new in this position so there are still a lot of things that I need to learn.

Q5: The field of security is presumably a traditionally male-oriented department. I was wondering if you can touch on your experiences, especially as a female, in obtaining this leadership position at SAS,   As you may know, this interview is conducted on behalf of the club Pudong Press and EducationForHer. Your diverse experiences and the strength you bring to our community — this is also the reason I wanted to complete an interview with you. So, I was wondering if you can touch on your experiences, especially as a female, in a leadership position in this school.

A: First, I would not consider myself to be in a leadership position. For both the security side and the project monitor side, I have supervisors upon me. I do have a lot of contacts with the leaderships in our school, and they are all supportive and helpful to the SAS community. As a female, the most important thing is to keep learning, to keep educating yourself and cherishing this education. Keep learning is especially crucial because you need to achieve the skills and knowledge to keep up with society. Take me as an example, if I leave SAS, there is still a high possibility that I can still find a job in my field of constructing because I still have all the knowledge and experience. This allows me to find success in a traditionally male-dominated field.  Another advice for women is that you need your own life after marriage and childbirth. Besides being a wife or a mother, women can find success in their careers too, and they shouldn’t be hindered by societal or traditional barriers. So, these are my two pieces advice for women.

Women empowerment at SAS comes from not only a gifted body of students and teachers, but a vibrant staff that’s committed to bringing the best out of our community. From the lovely ayis that keep our campus tidy to the bus monitors that supervise our rides to school, these unsung heroes remind us that strength is present in every inconspicuous office and each ordinary employee. 

As a proud mother, experienced designer, and now the security head of SAS Pudong, Ms. Shirley Liu is evident of this — a constant reminder that there are exceptional stories all around us, if one’s willing to listen. Whether working in design or security, we wish Ms. Liu the best in her SAS journey and that she continues to grow in her passion and expertise.

*Some questions and answers are modified from their original versions due to language barriers and grammatical errors. The message remains the same. 

** “Her Story” is a PD Press collaboration series with the service club EducationForHer. We strive to highlight outstanding female members of our community, uncover their story, and address the greater issue of female empowerment in our community and beyond. Stay tuned for more articles!