O.C. students vie for Irvine Co. scholarships

Eight high school seniors from Newport-Mesa are locked into a battle for $15,000 in scholarships from the Irvine Co. for the next two months.

The students — part of a group of 32 from 16 different high schools in Irvine, Laguna Beach, Newport-Mesa, Tustin and Orange school districts — will vie to be one of the four finalists receiving the main award.

All the students participating will receive $5,000 in scholarships.

Robin Leftwich, vice-president of community affairs for the Irvine Co., said since 2002 there has been a finalist from the Newport-Mesa school district, with the exception of last year.

“Those kids out of that district are consistently fantastic,” Leftwich said.

A boy and girl is chosen from each high school. This year the nominees are Catherine Donnelly and Dane Johnston from Corona del Mar High School, Monica Dimson and Victor Tran from Costa Mesa High School, Meagan Kunert and Sean Ulrich from Estancia, and Jessica Brostek and Peter Jackson from Newport Harbor.

“I don’t think he is of my gene pool,” said Stephen Johnston, father of Dane. “I often looked at these guys when I was in high school and thought ‘how do they do it?’ ”

Instead of being need- or GPA-based, the award is given based on competition.

The initial task was to help plan a community from bare land in a group of eight. Each student is given a community role — business advocate, environmentalist, social services — and they must develop a community that meets the needs of everyone.

“They learn the spirit of compromise and to consider the input of other people,” Leftwich said.

The students spend more than two hours developing the plan and then present it to a panel of four judges.

Students also must write an essay on leadership and will have personal interviews March 14, when the group will be narrowed to eight semi-finalists.

Each of those will receive $7,500 in scholarship money.

Another interview will be done April 18 to narrow the list to four finalists, who receive another $7,500.

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at daniel.tedford@latimes.com.