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Mikey was just recently published in the Santa Barbara Newspress! We are all soo proud of him!

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MODEL STUDENT : He recently landed a contract with a major NYC modeling agency. But college comes first for S.B. resident Michael Oster By MARILYN McMAHON, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER FROM TOP : During his senior year at San Marcos High School, Michael Oster was voted runner-up to the Most Attractive male in the graduating class. "I came in first for Most Confused," he said with a smile. COURTESY PHOTOS Mr. Oster said he is "open to a modeling career, but I'm not actively pursuing it at this point." Finishing college is Mr. Oster's top priority. A former barista at NorthStar Coffee Co. in downtown Santa Barbara, Michael Oster takes a break from his studies at Antioch University to jog at Chase Palm Park. The 22-year-old recently signed a contract with Click Model Management, whose clients include celebrities like Uma Thurman, Elle Macpherson, Isabella Rossellini and Whitney Houston. NIK BLASKOVICH/NEWS-PRESS The first time Mr. Oster was "discovered" at the age of 17, he turned down a weekend photo shoot for which he would have been paid $800 a day because he had to take his SAT. Michael Oster, a graduate of San Marcos High School and former barista at NorthStar Coffee Co. in downtown Santa Barbara, could be on the verge of a successful modeling career. Recently, he signed a contract with Click Model Management, which has agencies in New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and several other locations. Among its clients are well-known beauties like Elle Macpherson, Uma Thurman, Isabella Rossellini and Whitney Houston. Should Mr. Oster hit the big time, however, he probably won?t let celebrity status go to his head. Consider the fact that the first time Mr. Oster was "discovered" at the age of 17, he turned down a weekend photo shoot for which he would have been paid $800 a day. "I had to take my SAT," said the soft-spoken 22-year-old during an interview at Starbucks in the Mesa Shopping Center. It?s near his home, where he lives with his parents, Laurie and Peter Oster. One of four children, his siblings are Ryan, 28; Katie, 25; and Jeff, 21. Casting calls to Los Angeles are scheduled between classes at Antioch University in Santa Barbara, where he is working toward a liberal studies degree with an emphasis on communications and business. "My priority is finishing college," said Mr. Oster. "I am open to a modeling career, but I?m not actively pursuing it at this point." An agency like Click works as the model?s representative or agent. It takes care of finding work for the model, booking the jobs, billing for the jobs and eventually cutting a check for the work the model does. Once in an agency like this, all the model has to worry about is following instructions. The 6-foot 2-inch dark-haired model admitted that he was voted a runner-up to the Most Attractive male by classmates during his senior year at San Marcos High School. "I came in first for Most Confused," he said with a smile. "I was just happy to get one of the 15 awards." During his senior year, he was attending a service for the Ocean Hills Covenant Church on a local beach when a professional photographer spotted him goofing around with several friends before the service began. "He took some Polaroid pictures of me and then asked if I would be in a photo shoot the next weekend, which is when I was scheduled to take my SATs," said Mr. Oster, who attended Santa Barbara City College after graduating from high school. He also worked part-time at Abercrombie & Fitch on State Street, noted for its "sexy, casual clothing designed for the modern collegiate lifestyle." One day, another photographer came into the store and asked Mr. Oster to be part of a photo shoot with three young women who were professional surfers and another male employee at the store. "We filmed at the beach and riding around Santa Barbara on mopeds. It was for the Hollister brand, part of Abercrombie & Fitch," he said. "I earned about $160, which was added to my paycheck." Two years ago, Mr. Oster was working at NorthStar Coffee Co. when he connected with Mark Hug, who was casting for a fashion shoot by the famous fashion photographer Bruce Weber. Matter-of-factly, Mr. Oster described what happened: "We were closed, and I was cleaning the bathroom with the door propped open. Someone knocked on the window. It was Mark and his girlfriend, who were driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco and stopped in Santa Barbara. He asked me to meet him at West Beach the next morning where they were filming. "I didn?t make the cut, but Mark ended up pulling strings for me, and several months later, I was confirmed for a week-long shoot in the Florida Keys at Christmastime. Bruce Weber was doing the summer campaign for Abercrombie. He does all of Abercrombie?s photography. There were 15 guys and 15 girls. Only three of the guys made it on the posters for the stores, and I wasn?t one of them," he said. During the first part of the week, the models took acting classes, and the photography was done in the latter part, said Mr. Oster, who earned $2,000 for the stint. There have been several recent trips to Los Angeles for possible work with Apple or Target, but neither resulted in assignments. Which doesn?t bother Mr. Oster at all. Besides enjoying his studies at Antioch, he spends time with his girlfriend, Kelli Durham, a student at Brooks Institute. "Kelli is from Houston. She came here to go to Westmont. We met through a mutual friend at NorthStar. We run on the beach and take long walks. Our favorite restaurant is Zaytoon, and we?re active in our church, Reality in Carpinteria," said Mr. Oster. e-mail: mmcmahon@newspress.com