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onnowerina Wourmaw

Andover alum wins prestigious New York
Women in Communications scholarship.

BY LYNNE KONSTANTIN I CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A

lexandra Osten is a
bit of an internship
junkie.
Just settling into
her senior year at Pace University
in New York City, Osten, 21, has
so far held 11 internships with
some of the most recognized
names in the industry. With
a double major in arts and
entertainment management and
global marketing and a minor
in economics, she has interned
at CBS, NBC, Inside Edition, the
Today Show, Universal Pictures,
Alexandra Osten helms the news desk at the
Conde Nast, UBS Global Wealth
Today show.
Management and more.
"I wanted to take advantage
of all possible opportunities," she
own family. There were struggles, but
says (she discovered that wealth
they also helped motivate me, and show
management was not for her — "I'm
me how far you can go if you work at
an entertainment gal.").
it," she says.
"I would think, 'Wow, I want to
So she went for the gold — and won.
work for this company. Let's see what
New York Women in Communications
happens.' Then I would apply. I got a
(NYWIC) is a premier nonprofit
lot of no's. But the biggest thing is to
organization for communications
persevere. That's how life is, right? You
professionals and seeks to empower
have to keep trying."
women in all disciplines of the
Growing up in Bloomfield Hills, Osten, field. One way is by offering various
who was a member at Temple Israel
scholarship and internship opportunities
and Temple Shir Shalom, graduated
through its foundation.
from Andover High School. Throughout
Among the handful of 2014
her career there, she was on the varsity
recipients was Osten, who received the
tennis and skating teams (she often
Ruth Whitney Scholarship from Glamour
skated with gold-medalist Meryl Davis),
magazine. With it, she received a
played cello and piano, sang opera (and $10,000 endowment, a week working
spent five summers at Interlochen Fine
Arts Camp), was a state finalist on the
forensics team, and took part in most
Upcoming Event
school musicals and plays.
Osten "was surrounded by really
powerful women," she says, and she
was very close with her grandmother.
She also has a cousin who had
oin NEXTGen Detroit and
worked in the White House.
Tugman Bais Chabad for a
"Just coming from Metro Detroit,
special edition of Good Shabbos
I feel like I had such amazing
Detroit as they celebrate the
examples, both personally and in
Feast of Booths with their second annual
the community," says Osten, who
Good Sukkos Detroit.
participates every year in Relay for
Enjoy an Israeli-style dinner, Sukkot
Life. "There are so many examples of
celebration and hear Dmirity Salita, famous
people taking really awful situations,
boxer and subject of the documentary
and turning them into something
Orthodox Stance, speak about his
positive.
experiences as a Russian immigrant, a
"There was a lot of cancer in my

woman's career," says
Judith Harrison, NYWIC
Foundation president.
"They are all on their way
to becoming women who
change the world."
Osten returned to Pace's
campus with a renewed
perspective. "After being
surrounded by all of these
accomplished and dynamic
women, I wanted more of
it," she says. "And I wanted
to help."
So while many of her
Osten (right) and a friend met Gloria Steinem
classmates
were still
at the 2014 Matrix Awards in New York City.
decorating their dorm
rooms and finding their
in the editorial department of Glamour,
way around campus this fall, Osten had
allowing her to rub elbows with Anna
already launched the first meeting of
Wintour (iconic editor of American
her new networking organization for
Vogue) and an invitation to receive her
women, which drew more than 400
award at last April's Matrix Awards,
women, including faculty and alumni.
held at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria
It's called Successful Women at Pace
Hotel, honoring outstanding women in
(SWAP) and was created to mimic the
communications.
goals of NYWIC. To this end, Osten and
Among this year's honorees and
her board have created subcommittees,
presenters (and Osten's newest
internship programs, a Rolodex of
networking contacts): Gloria Steinem,
contacts, mentorship programs, a
Queen Latifah, Cynthia McFadden, Mary Linkedln group and many more ways to
J. Blige and more.
network and seek opportunities.
"The young women [receiving
"We want women to see all the
this scholarship] represent a high
options they have," Osten says. "There
standard of excellence and honor our
is still so much inequality."
organization's mission to promote
Playing an important role in
advancement at every stage of a
empowering women, Osten believes,
is allowing them to boost each other
up, rather than seeing each other as
competitors, and she hopes this will
also be achieved through SWAP.
"Women often tear each other
down, and we can all be so much more
productive if we help each other."
professional athlete and an observant Jew.
Next step?
It takes place at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12,
"I'm starting an internship at CNN,
at the Bais Chabad Torah Center, 5595
and I'm looking for a new one for my
W. Maple Road in West Bloomfield. The
final semester at Pace," Osten says.
cost is $10 per person until midnight,
"I know I want to stay in arts and
Tuesday, Oct. 7; $15 per person until noon,
entertainment, and that's all I really
Wednesday, Oct. 8. Register at http://
know right now."
jewishdetroit.org/event/good-sukkos-
That, and something else, that will
detroit. Questions? Contact Sarah Snider at
help her go far: "We all have struggles,"
snider©jfmd.org . ❑
Osten says. "Let's overcome them
together." ❑

Good Sukkos Detroit

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