June 22, 2006
Two Miss Seattle winners at School of Medicine
More than a year ago Weiya Zhang and Allison Porter sat next to each other in UW School of Medicine orientation for first-year students. When the topic of funding medical school came up, Porter suggested that Zhang check out the Miss Seattle Scholarship Pageant.
Porter had first-hand experience in the benefits of such pageants. She was crowned Miss Seattle and Miss Washington in 2004 and had received thousands of dollars in scholarship money from the contests.
“I told her there was a lot of scholarship money available,” Porter said. “I knew she had potential, because she was smart, had a great personality, and had an extensive background in dance.”
Zhang thought about it and decided it was a good idea to pursue. Her parents were less than enthusiastic at first. “My parents place great value on education. They said, you’re a medical student, and should focus on your studies,” Zhang recalled. “When they heard about the scholarship monies and came to the events, they were real excited for me.”
In February, 23-year-old Weiya Zhang was selected from among 15 contestants as the 2006 Miss Seattle. She received a $750 scholarship and $500 wardrobe allowance, and the opportunity to enter the Miss Washington contest and potentially the Miss America contest for even more scholarship monies.
“Most people don’t know that these pageants are one of the leading providers of scholarships for young women,” said Darrin Emerick, director of the Miss Seattle Program. “Indeed, these pageants offer millions of dollars to contestants. The longer you participate in various programs, the more money you can potentially win.”
Emerick noted that in 2005, between local and state programs, Washington awarded over $326,000 in scholarships to contestants, ranking close to California at $407,000, but way below South Carolina with $7.2 million, Oklahoma with $6.8 million, and Alabama at $5.9 million.
Young women, ages 17 to 24, who live, work, or attend school in the Greater Seattle -King County area are eligible to enter the Miss Seattle program. Contestants are judged in six categories: the personal interview in which each contestant states her service platform, 25 percent; artistic impression in talent, 35 percent; casual wear, 15 percent; physical fitness in swimsuit, 10 percent; evening wear, 15 percent; and responses to questions on state, 5 percent. The final scoring occurs when the judges vote on the top five highest scoring contestants to determine who will be the title holder. A title holder must be poised, confident, talented, physically fit, demonstrate grace, and be involved in her community, most of the time on a volunteer basis.
Contrary to popular opinion, these events are not merely beauty pageants. “Unlike beauty pageants in the past, this pageant program works to support the modern woman,” Zhang said, “It’s not just about the swimsuit contest. The nature of the pageants has changed over the years and is now more focused on our academic successes, talents, and community service.”
Zhang, who was born in China, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, with dual undergraduate degrees in biology and the history and sociology of science. She won the 2006 Miss Seattle crown with a strong commitment to community service. She will be featured in the July issue of Seattle magazine.
“For my service platform, I’m interested in promoting pediatric lung health with a focus on tobacco prevention and asthma education,” Zhang said, adding that she volunteers with the American Lung Association of Washington, the Sunday Health Clinic for the homeless at the Aloha Inn, and is doing a preceptorship with a cardiac surgeon in Seattle. Long term, Zhang said she’s thinking about specializing in surgery, perhaps cardiothoracic surgery.
She also was a hit in the talent category. “I play the violin and I am also a dancer. For the talent piece, I chose to perform a jazz dance to ‘Hot Honey Rag’ from the musical Chicago.”
Although the swimsuit and evening wear competitions are secondary, Zhang demonstrated her beauty, pose and grace in those categories as well.
Porter, who is also finishing her first year of medical school, received her undergraduate degree from Harvard, in astronomy and astrophysics. After graduation, she was a medical volunteer in India and Ecuador and has worked in immunogenetics in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Cancer and substance abuse prevention were the focus of her Miss Washington service platform. Porter is also a runner and a boxer. She is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and a winner of the Tacoma Golden Gloves competition.
Porter deferred her entry into medical school by a year to fulfill her Miss Washington obligations. “The opportunity to make an impact through fundraising, advocacy, and education on my platform made this job well worth it — and the scholarship paid off my college loans and part of my medical school tuition.”
Zhang and Porter are indeed the faces of modern women — multifaceted, multitalented, and resourceful.
