Alyson Nguyen got things done at Ocean View High

Ocean View High School senior Alyson Nguyen called the Ocean View Kay Walsh Memorial Walk to Benefit MS her baby.

Nguyen worked with Ocean View activities director Sara Spilsbury to create the inaugural event last year. The event was named for the late Kay Walsh, the mother of Seahawks athletic director Tim Walsh who battled multiple sclerosis before passing away.

“I spent months trying to figure out everything,” Nguyen said. “I’m glad that we were able to do something to give back to our own school, especially for Mr. Walsh, who’s given us so much with athletics and is so near and dear to my heart.”

Nguyen did things like walking around the Ocean View campus to map out a 5K route, designed the T-shirts for the event and created games for kids who were attending. Her attention to detail helped raise thousands of dollars for multiple sclerosis.

“It was just so great to see our entire school community together at this walk,” she said, adding that this year the walk was held virtually due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Spilsbury was appreciative of the efforts.

“She really helped make it as successful as it was,” Spilsbury said. “I know it never would have been what it was if it wasn’t for her organizational capacity and her ability to bring people together and make things happen.”

The walk’s success symbolized how Nguyen, who will be part of Ocean View’s drive-through graduation on Wednesday, put her heart into her four years at Ocean View. She was ASB President this year and worked in groups like Social Society and Unified Sports, bonding with special-education students at the school.

Nguyen was a member of the school’s Business Academy program and volunteered at her church, Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fountain Valley. She was a three-year captain for the girls’ volleyball team, moving from setter to libero this year after the graduation of standout Kelli Greiner. Recently, she was named the Ocean View Female Athlete of the Year.

Nguyen also managed to keep a 4.64 grade-point average, which ranks third in a class of 286.

Alyson Nguyen of Ocean View High School helped create the Ocean View Kay Walsh Walk to Benefit MS.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

“I love her humility,” Ocean View Assistant Principal Jodi Young said. “She’s a learner. She’s one of those people who asks, ‘What can I do to improve?’ and actually really cares to know how she can grow as a person in all aspects. I went to many of her volleyball [matches], and just even watching her on the court, she was so dedicated to make every effort to do her best. It was inspiring.”

Nguyen will attend the University of Portland next year and study biology and organizational communication. She had a medical internship at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach, though that was cut short due to COVID-19.

Even during the pandemic, she has been working on keeping Ocean View seniors engaged through the ASB’s Instagram page. Profiles on seniors have been posted.

“It was definitely hard at first,” Nguyen said of staying home due to the coronavirus. “It was a huge, huge transition. This was supposed to be the fun part of senior year. We got through the hard parts of applying for college, applying for [student loans], everything like that. In the past few months, we’ve definitely worked hard in ASB to try and keep our student body connected. Social media has been my best friend.”

“She’s going to do some amazing things in her life,” Ocean View Principal Courtney Robinson said. “She just makes everybody else better around her, in no matter what she does.”

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