Picture yourself in college. Your days are probably filled with studying, classes, and let’s be honest, partying. That’s what you would expect from any other 19-year-old, but not Ivan Diaz. As the owner of Oasis, a concept that offers acai bowls and smoothies in Lyric Market, he’s instead choosing to focus on his entrepreneurial goals, all while attending his dream school, Rice University. He knows he’s young, but he doesn’t want that to stop him from being successful.

“I don’t think age really defines what you can and cannot do,” he says.

The food industry wasn’t something he’d always had his eye on. Diaz had a strong work ethic instilled in him from a young age: He grew up watching his dad take odd jobs here and there, and occasionally, he’d help out, too. At 16, Diaz officially joined his dad at PJS of Houston, a commercial janitorial company, working close to 80 hours a week.

He began working at a local smoothie shop in South Houston in his junior year of high school. Thanks to his previous work experience, he was given a shift lead position and eventually took over as area manager. He helped open a second store and was responsible for running both.

He quit that job in the fall of 2024 when he started college. Balancing being on-site at smoothie shops with his classes and homework was too much. And even though he was salaried, as a first-generation college attendee, he knew studying business at Rice University was a better stepping stone.

He says he was ready to make his family proud, but he wasn’t so eager to say goodbye to the smoothies and acai bowls he got used to.

“I love acai bowls, so I’ll eat them often,” he says. “I’d buy myself a bucket of acai and I’d always eat them. People were asking me what it was, and then I started selling—I’d do it weekly.”

The university’s food halls close at a certain time, and after that, the only options are junk food. Diaz was able to provide a healthier option, and to give students more accessibility his pop-ups would often last until midnight, which helped him gain popularity among his peers.

Things really began to ramp up when he did a pop-up in partnership with another student, who was working on a Rice-based fundraiser affiliated with the nonprofit Banco de Alimentos de Bolivia, which raises money to help end food insecurity in the country. Together, the two students raised nearly $1,000.

Diaz soon began to see more potential in himself and his business. With the money he had saved up from his previous years of working, plus some help from his mom, expanding beyond campus became a real possibility for him. He also doesn’t have to worry about paying for school—his tuition is covered thanks to the university’s financial support program, the Rice Investment.

Diaz started looking into potential brick-and-mortar spaces, but realized that his young age and self-employed status made securing a lease more difficult. He then narrowed his search to food halls, which is how he found Lyric Market. It was perfect: There was a need for healthier offerings in the venue, and its location downtown meant he could attract a good crowd in during the day.

“I wanted to provide a healthier and cheaper option for food,” he says. “I feel like a lot of healthy food options—they’re pricey.”

At Oasis, you won’t find anything on the menu for more than $13.99. There’s a nod to Rice University with an acai bowl named after the residential college, Lovett. He says it’s his own adaption on a classic bowl you’d see at other smoothie spots: an acai base with granola, banana, blueberries, strawberries, honey, and chia seeds. For the gym lovers, he’s included a macro bowl on the menu, using acai, peanut butter, granola, blackberries, mango, raspberries, and hemp seeds. The Rio bowl, named after the Brazilian city (and the 2011 film), consists of acai, coconut condensed milk, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, bee pollen, and coconut flakes. The menu also includes a variety of parfaits, smoothies, and a matcha latte.

Since Oasis has proven to be a success, Diaz says he has high hopes of expanding to Rice University as more than just a pop-up. He’s pushing to be included in the Moody Center Complex for Student Life, which broke ground this year. The bidding process hasn’t started yet, but he’s hopeful he’ll have a solid answer within the next two years.

Diaz jokes that his story sounds contradictory—after all, he quit his previous job because he was so busy, but he’s loving every moment of being a business owner. “I left the job for more peace—but I wanted to do my own thing because I can put my own terms on [it],” he says.

Even with Oasis under his belt, Diaz says he’s determined to finish school and potentially pursue some other ventures down the line. So, it’s possible that the Lyric Market concept won’t be the last we’ll see from this 19-year-old business owner.