US ” Air Force Officer ” crown Miss America 2024
US Air Force officer Madison Marsh wins the Miss America 2024 title and she becomes the first active-duty officer lady to wear the crown.
Madison holds the position of second lieutenant in the US Air Force and she is pursuing her master’s at the Harvard Kennedy School in a public policy program.
Marsh, who was crowned Miss Colorado in 2023, is an Arkansas native and holds a degree in physics from the Air Force Academy. She is studying public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, according to her competition profile.
Madison Marsh, a 22-year-old US Air Force lady officer crowned the Miss America 2024 today in Orlando, Florida. Madison holds the position of second lieutenant in the US Air Force. Madison is also The Miss Colorado 2023 winner and she is the first-ever active-duty Air Force officer to receive the prestigious title. Meanwhile, Ellie Breaux of Texas is the first runner-up in the beauty pageant.
Congratulations to our very own #Airman, 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, aka Miss Colorado — who was just crowned @MissAmerica 2024! Marsh is the first active duty servicemember to ever win the title.#AimHigh pic.twitter.com/3RuDu5CulW
— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) January 15, 2024
Madison Marsh Biography
Her Miss Colorado biography is not typical of a pageant contender: “In her free time, Madison enjoys flying planes, cooking pasta, and reading,” it says.
How she won the title
She was asked in the questionnaire round about her goals as Miss America. The Miss America responded by underlining her military credentials as showcasing her commitment to learning and leading “with passion.” She also mentioned her mother, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2018, during the discussion round. Her death drove Madison to start the Whitney Marsh Foundation to raise money for cancer research.
Madison explained her dream from a young age, Marsh had aspired to be a pilot. Her parents sent her to a space camp when she was 13 years old where she met astronauts and fighter pilots.
Madison Career Journey
At the age of 15, she began taking flying lessons and after two years , she received her pilot’s license.Besides the beauty pageant, Madison Marsh imagines her future as a ‘Top Gun’ fighter pilot.
Fifty-one contestants — from each state and Washington, D.C. — competed for the 2024 crown, a title the pageant calls “a 365-day opportunity,” with “community service” at its center.
“When I put on my uniform, I serve, and I represent our country,” Marsh told the Harvard Crimson student newspaper ahead of Sunday’s finale. “When I put on the crown and sash, I’m serving, representing my community.”
The Air Force Academy championed Marsh throughout the competition, sharing a photo of her standing alongside a plane in her uniform to its Instagram account, with a caption that read, “from the flight line to the spotlight.”
During the competition, Marsh said she hoped to “break stereotypes about women in pageants and the military,” while making “friends that will last a lifetime.”
What Madison Marsh will facilitate
As Miss America, Marsh will be offered a scholarship award of $60,000 and the opportunity to travel the nation as the brand’s ambassador, according its website.
Madison Marsh on her mission
Marsh told the newspaper that she hopes her story “can tell the young girls that you don’t have to play a conventional role.”
Miss America says its brand mission is “Empowering Women to Lead,” though the event, which is more than 100 years old, has been marred by infighting, litigation, a damaging email scandal and slow-burning financial challenges,Even it was reported in The Washington Post .