U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh won the Miss America title on Jan. 14 at the Walt Disney Theater in Orlando, Florida.
2nd Lt. Marsh, who represented the state of Colorado, is the first active-duty Air Force officer ever to compete and win the title. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The 22-year-old Arkansas native competed for the Miss America crown in Florida on Sunday—an event featuring several phases including a public interview, as well as evening gown and fitness stages. She was one of the 51 contestants who participated in the event.
From a young age, 2nd Lt. Marsh had a love of science and a dream to be a pilot and astronaut. Her parents encouraged her dreams, sending her to Space Camp when she was 13 years old where she met astronauts and fighter pilots.
Around that time, she learned about the United States Air Force Academy. At 15 years old, she started flying lessons, earning her pilot’s license two years later, and then began to work towards her goal of becoming a cadet.
She was crowned Miss Colorado in May 2023 just before graduating from the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and commissioning as an Air Force Officer.
While at USAFA, 2nd Lt. Marsh decided she would try competing in pageants as an extracurricular activity.
“As a freshman at the Academy, you might have a hard time finding your identity in a very new and challenging environment,” she told SWNS. “My cousin had competed in pageants for a long time, and one of the big things about it that I love is the community service aspect and the focus on public speaking.”
Three years later, she was crowned Miss Colorado. “It was very surreal,” she said.
2nd Lt. Marsh openly addresses the many preconceived notions and stereotypes about beauty pageants and their contestants.
“The Miss America organization that I’m a part of now is all focused on what you can provide for the community through your social impact, making sure that you have a stellar resume, that you’re good at public speaking, that you can connect with people, and are empowered to lead in other ways that’s not just about you,” she said.
She enjoys talking with other young girls about being a pilot and serving in the military and sees it as an opportunity to dispel stereotypes that exist about military women. “It’s an awesome experience to bring both sides of the favorite parts of my life together and hopefully make a difference for others to be able to realize that you don’t have to limit yourself,” she said.
In September, 2nd Lt. Marsh started a two-year master’s degree program in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School through the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Civilian Institution Programs. She is also the founder of the Whitney Marsh Foundation—named after her mother who died from pancreatic cancer in 2018—and is involved in raising money for cancer research.
“I lost my mom about five years ago to pancreatic cancer, and I started a nonprofit almost immediately afterward with my family to raise money and awareness of pancreatic cancer for people in our town,” she said.
“I’m now trying to take the next step and use my studies from the Kennedy School to learn about the inner workings and the difficulties of what policy really looks like. Issues like economic environments and other social pressures that might be inhibiting our ability to implement cancer policies that can affect all Americans.”
She is currently determining the personal projects she wants to pursue. She will also work with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and a professor from the Harvard Medical School to research early detection of pancreatic cancer.
2nd Lt. Marsh succeeds Grace Stanke, the 2023 Miss America. The first runner-up is Ellie Breaux of Texas.
