Marcia Bowden won’t be putting the parking brake on once school ends next week.

The Sequim School District bus driver for six years recently took second in the regional Washington Association for Pupil Transportation Safety ROADeo on May 31. Next she’ll compete in the state competition June 22 in Yakima against the state’s best school bus drivers by parallel parking, backing into a stall and more for a chance to go to the national competition.

Bowden said she may be the first Sequim school bus driver to compete at this level, but she nor other drivers were sure.

“I’m just happy to go,” she said. “We’re a small school district with 22 regular drivers but many districts have as many as 100 drivers. It’s a big deal for us to even go.”

Before with the ROADeo, Bowden sees two of her three boys graduate this weekend, one from Sequim High School, Mike, 18, and Nick, 21, from Eastern Washington University. Her third son, Jonathan, 9, is a Greywolf Elementary student.

Bonus Question 1: Why did you become a bus driver?

Bowden: I’ve always wanted to learn to drive a bus. When I was 7 or 8, I remember watching the bus driver because I found it fascinating.

Question 3: Did you always know how to pronounce Sequim?

Bowden: I called it (See-Kwim) and everyone laughed when we tried to turn on our phones and electricity when we moved. Now, I just smile at people who don’t. I can tell they are new.

Question 16: What is your favorite Sequim event?

Bowden: The Sequim Irrigation Festival. When we first moved here (22 years ago), we lived just a few blocks away from the events so we took our son in a stroller. It’s old-fashioned, warm and a great gathering of people.

Question 24: If you could meet anyone, who would it be?

Bowden: Abraham Lincoln and Rosa Parks. I think she was a quiet woman but made a dramatic difference doing something so simple. She carried herself with grace. I think she would be interesting to sit down with.

Same thing with (Lincoln). I’d want to know what was going on in his mind (about the Civil War) in the middle of it all and how did he know we’d continue on the right side.

Question 28: If you were a professional in any field, what would you be?

Bowden: I blow glass (lampworking) already and I love to go to Glass Beach in Port Townsend. I would do that.

Bonus Question 2: Any interesting stories from a bus trip?

Bowden: (About four years ago), a girl had gone to spend the night at a friend’s house. They were doing construction on the house and she didn’t know it (but the crew) disturbed an ant hill that crawled into her lunch pail with her half eaten lunch on the floor.

At night the ants went dormant but in the morning the heaters on the bus warmed them up and they crawled all over the bus. Before anyone realized, ants were at everyone’s feet. Kids were screaming.

Question 42: What’s your best memory of Sequim?

Bowden: I remember driving here all packed up from L.A., I was 9 months pregnant and I noticed wild lupin along the side of the road. I had never seen them before so my husband pulled over and picked one for me. It was so beautiful. Three weeks later I had a baby who was four weeks early.

In Random Questions, members of the community each draw five random questions (sometimes more) out of 50 from a bag and he/she will answer these questions for your entertainment. With suggestions for random interviews, e-mail Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.