Miss America, an Air Force Officer, Challenges Misconceptions About Pageantry

Madison Marsh walks onstage during pre-race ceremonies at the NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 in Dover, Del., on April 28. James Gilbert/Getty Images

Madison Marsh made history this year as the first active-duty Air Force officer to be crowned Miss America. Now she is setting the record straight on what pageants are really about.

During an interview with Fox News, the 23-year-old said the pageant world is not focused on superficial aspects, despite its depiction on film and television.

“The Miss America organization, especially in my competition, almost all of my score was dependent on my public speaking and my community service,” she said. “In order to compete, you have to have a community service initiative. Mine is my nonprofit, the Whitney Marsh Foundation.”

“You’ve got public interviews, private interviews on stage, questions, political questions that you’re having to answer in front of an entire audience, and then national live-streaming,” she said. “All of that goes to say that the people … the girls and the women that I’ve met in the organization are some of the most well-spoken, passionate, intelligent people that I’ve met.”

Marsh said Hollywood’s “silly” movies about girls in pageants have the wrong idea. To her, participating in Miss America is about helping the communities she serves, including her nonprofit—the Whitney Marsh Foundation—and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

“The most important thing to me is not what dress I’m wearing, what I’m doing on stage. It’s what we’re able to do for our communities.

“I want people to remember that this year, like even though I’m wearing this, I still get to serve in the Air Force, I still get to serve in my nonprofit or getting to serve with PanCAN for a cause that is so important, like pancreatic cancer. It goes so far beyond the word ‘pageant.’”

The Whitney Marsh Foundation

Marsh lost her mother, Whitney, to pancreatic cancer in 2018, which led her and her family to start the foundation, which raises funds to promote early detection of the disease.

“Losing her when she was 41 to pancreatic cancer—I want people to know her story. I want them to know the signs, the ways to get help … because I don’t think we do enough for pancreatic cancer,” Marsh said in an interview with the Department of Defense.

“My mom was misdiagnosed when we had no cancer history in our family. She was healthy. She didn’t have any of those warning signs, and she still passed away. We need to do more for our patients, and being able to have a national platform and a voice now to work with people is so important. I can’t think of a better way to [showcase] the legacy of my mom.”

Miss America 2024

Madison Marsh grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and entered the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, graduating in 2023. She decided to try beauty pageants during her time in the academy and won Miss Colorado soon after getting commissioned.

Representing the Centennial State, Marsh went on to compete in Miss America. She was crowned the winner during the national pageant in January, winning $60,000 in tuition scholarships. In honor of her mother, she is using her platform to advocate for pancreatic cancer awareness.

“I’m very excited to get to represent women who can break stereotypes,” she said in an interview with the pageant. “You can achieve anything. … If I can come from a small town, not being a part of the pageant community, step into this role, so can you.”

Marsh currently serves as a second lieutenant in the Air Force and is pursuing her master’s degree in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.