Senior shows leadership

Michael Miller

Alyson O’Desky is in the running for a $10,000 scholarship, but even

if she doesn’t win it, she’ll still leave a mark on central Orange

County next month.

That’s when the Newport Harbor High senior’s quarterly magazine,

which she describes as “something like the New Yorker,” is set to

print its first issue.

Over the last few months, 18-year-old O’Desky -- Aly to her

friends -- has been busy hiring editors and writers, sketching out

stories and putting together subscriber lists. Her magazine -- she

won’t reveal its name yet -- will consist of fiction, nonfiction and

essays on contemporary issues. It will also contain advertisements.

In a world full of high school bloggers, O’Desky has set her sights

on an actual commercial publication.

“Our circulation is going to be local for now, and then we’d like

to expand,” said O’Desky, who is currently one of eight semifinalists

for the Irvine Company’s 2005 Student Leadership Award. “It would be

wonderful to go all through California, but it depends on how well

the magazine is received.”

Even apart from extracurricular activities, O’Desky has had her

hands full at Newport Harbor. In the last four years, she’s founded

two campus organizations -- French Club and Othello Club, the latter

for theater buffs -- and also belonged to the Model United Nations,

National Honor Society, National Charity League and school newspaper,

among others. Thus, when Newport Harbor had to select one female

student for the Irvine Company’s competition this year, O’Desky came

out on top.

“Alyson displays the quintessential qualities of a leader,” said

John Christensen, senior director of media relations for the Irvine

Company. “She’s outgoing, articulate, motivated and demonstrates a

passion for serving her community, as witnessed by her involvement in

the National Charity League.”

For the last 19 years, the Irvine Company has given out $96,000

total in scholarship money to high school seniors who show the

potential to be future leaders. The awards cover 15 high schools in

the Irvine Ranch area -- comprising parts of Irvine, Laguna Beach,

Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Orange and Tustin -- and pay for tuition,

books and other college expenses.

Students at each school begin by submitting applications to teams

of administrators, who nominate one male and one female candidate.

Each student nominated receives a minimum $2,000 scholarship. After

all 30 candidates go through a leadership exercise and a first round

of interviews, the Irvine Company’s judges narrow the field down to

eight semifinalists, who win an additional $1,000. O’Desky was one of

the eight chosen this year.

“I was just so impressed with her drive and her zeal for

knowledge,” said Ruth Wardwell, director of public relations at

Chapman University and one of the judges who evaluated O’Desky. “It

wasn’t just, ‘OK, I want to go here and get a degree.’”

In the leadership exercise held on March 4, nominees formed groups

and created a plan for a 620-acre community. O’Desky’s group, for

which she was the “affordable housing consultant,” created a densely

populated town that allowed residents to walk everywhere.

After the final round of interviews on April 18, judges will

deliberate, then name the four winners of the Student Leadership

Award at a ceremony on May 11. The four finalists receive an

additional $7,000 -- bringing their total prize to $10,000.

“When you look at the breadth of what these kids are accomplishing

at the high school level, it really is astounding,” Christensen said.