Miss America 2024: Historic Win as U.S. Air Force Officer Miss Colorado Madison Marsh Takes the Crown
Miss Colorado Madison Marsh made history on Sunday night at the 2024 Miss America pageant, becoming the first active-duty military service member to win the title in the pageant’s nearly 100-year history, as reported by the U.S. Air Force.
At 22, Marsh, a second lieutenant in the Air Force and recent graduate of the Air Force Academy in Colorado, expressed her excitement to represent women breaking stereotypes.
In an interview on Miss America’s Instagram, she emphasized sharing the experiences of being both a member of the military community and Miss America.
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When asked for advice for other women, Marsh encouraged them, stating, “You can achieve anything. The sky is not the limit, and the only person that’s stopping you is you.”
The U.S. Air Force celebrated Marsh’s victory on X (formerly Twitter), posting photos of her in uniform with the Miss America title and using the hashtag #AimHigh.
Marsh, a physics graduate from the Air Force Academy with a focus on astronomy, is now pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, according to her competition biography.
In an interview with The Harvard Crimson, Marsh drew parallels between military service and pageantry, emphasizing that both involve serving and representing, albeit in different ways.
She credits the Air Force Academy for honing her leadership skills, a factor she believes played a role in her journey to becoming Miss Colorado.
Crowned Miss Colorado in May, Marsh shared her pageant journey, starting during her first year at the Air Force Academy. She highlighted the Academy’s impact on her academic and leadership development, even influencing her acceptance into Harvard.
For the talent portion of the Miss America competition, Marsh delivered a spoken word piece about earning her private pilot’s license at the age of 16.
Marsh plans to dedicate her Miss America year to raising awareness about pancreatic cancer, the disease that claimed her mother’s life. Her foundation, the Whitney Marsh Foundation, focuses on pancreatic cancer research and advocacy.
Marsh expressed her goal to go global with pancreatic cancer awareness, sharing her mother’s story, and raising funds for research in her post-win interview on Miss America’s Instagram story.
