For a young woman who says pageants aren't her thing, Erin Waid has had her fair share of them lately.

After being named the 2005 West Seattle Hi-Yu Queen, 20-year-old Waid represented this community in the Miss Seafair scholarship competition this summer, winning the title among 17 participants along with $5,900 in scholarships.

An aspiring doctor and a senior at the University of Portland, Waid spent her first week as the queen of Seattle's month long festival attending a barrage of events and media interviews - all of which she enjoyed.

"It's all a lot of fun," said Waid over the phone, struggling to sound perky in the a.m. hours after a string of events and receptions the day before.

Waid was crowned on July 25 and since then has been the smiling face of the 57th annual Seafair festival. Last Wednesday she welcomed the men and women of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard as they entered Elliot Bay on Seattle's waterfront for the annual Fleet Arrival Parade of Ships.

Thursday Waid attended a reception aboard the navy ship the U.S.S. Cleveland. Friday, she met with several Seattle city officials and Seafair pilots and drivers at a gala downtown. Saturday she rode in the Lake City Parade, and Sunday she watched the hydroplane races from a special spot on Lake Washington.

Waid said she was particularly excited about the hydro races because she'd only ever seen them on television before this year.

When her name was called as the winner of the women's scholarship program - which she said is "not based on looks" - Waid said she couldn't have been more surprised.

"I wasn't expecting anything," she said.

Personally, the pressure was off for Waid. She was careful not to set any expectations about the competition that would only leave her disappointed if she didn't win. It turned out to be a great opportunity to just be herself, she said.

"When you don't have that pressure, there's no downside with being completely honest when you answer the questions they ask," said Waid. "If you go into a process with no expectations, there's really no bad outcome with whatever happens."

All 17 girls were first judged in the following areas: 40 percent interviews, 25 percent academic review, 25 percent creative expression and 10 percent participation. Then the top eight were called forward for the coronation stage of the competition, which included onstage interviews and roundtable discussions. They were judged on poise, how articulately they answered questions and how well they interacted with the other contestants.

Waid said she thought she did well in this part of the competition because her experience as a student recruiter at her high school, the all-girl Catholic academy Holy Names, gave her confidence to speak in front of an audience. But at one point during the coronation ceremony, Waid did feel a little pressure.

Seafair officials asked her to tape down the bust area of her formal dress, and the strongest tape she could find was double-sided, carpet tape. Seconds before she was about to go on stage, she and three other contestants struggled to get the tape in place so it wouldn't peak out of her salmon-colored dress.

"It was like 15 seconds before I was supposed to go on stage," laughed Waid.

Throughout the competition, winning was far from Waid's mind. Though happy to have a nice chunk of her senior year paid for, her primary goal was to meet new friends and stay connected to the community.

"All the girls were so supportive with the outcome," said Waid. "I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to spend the summer with."

Waid is completing a major in biology and minor in chemistry at the University of Portland and plans to pursue medical school, preferably at the University of Washington so she can stay near her family and friends.

She said medicine intrigued her even as a young girl, when frequent sinus and ear infections sent her to the doctor's office often. She remembered always being curious about the doctor's tools.

"It was just so interesting to me - and still is," she said.

Later at Holy Names, biology and math classes peaked her interest in human biology.

"I loved the challenge of learning about those different sciences," she said.

Currently, Waid is getting real life medical experience as an intern at the Oregon Health and Science University where she works in the intensive care unit doing research.

"It's been a really eye opening experience," said Waid. "I'm learning that it's really hard to separate yourself emotionally from the patients. I think that will be the biggest obstacle for me."

She's considering a career in pediatrics or with Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization.

Waid has spent nearly half of her life in West Seattle, but was born in New Orleans, Louisiana where she lived with her older brother Stephen, her mother Ruthie and her father Brian until she was 11. And after a busy Seafair season, Waid said she's looking forward to her 21st birthday in September, which she plans to spend quietly with friends and family.

Rebekah Schilperoort can be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com