Miss Colorado Madison Marsh made history by being crowned Miss America, marking the first time an active-duty military service member has won the title in the pageant’s nearly 100-year history, as confirmed by the U.S. Air Force.
At 22 years old, Marsh, a second lieutenant in the Air Force, recently graduated from the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
“I’m very excited to get to represent women who can break stereotypes,” Marsh said in an interview shared on Miss America’s Instagram story, adding that she is looking forward to sharing “what it means to be a member of the military community and Miss America.”
When asked about the advice she wishes to share with other women, Marsh expressed, “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, posting on X (formerly known as Twitter) with photos of Marsh in uniform and her Miss America title, accompanied by the hashtag #AimHigh.
Graduating from the Air Force Academy with a degree in physics and a focus on astronomy, Marsh is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, as mentioned in her competition biography.
In an interview with The Harvard Crimson, Marsh highlighted similarities between military service and pageantry, noting, “you’re serving but in a different way.” “When I put on my uniform, I serve and represent our country,” she stated.
“When I put on the crown and sash, I’m serving and representing my community.”
Having been crowned Miss Colorado in May, Marsh shared with the newspaper that she began participating in pageants during her first year at the Air Force Academy.
“I don’t think I ever would have gotten into Harvard if I wouldn’t have gone to the Air Force Academy,” Marsh acknowledged.
“I don’t think I ever would have become Miss Colorado without the Air Force Academy because they have trained me and honed in on my leadership.”
For the talent segment of the Miss America competition, Marsh delivered a spoken word piece recounting her achievement of earning a private pilot’s license at the age of 16.
Marsh intends to dedicate her year of service as Miss America to raising awareness about pancreatic cancer, a disease that led to her mother’s death. The foundation she established for pancreatic cancer research and advocacy is named the Whitney Marsh Foundation, in honor of her late mother.
“I really want to be able to go global with pancreatic cancer and share my mom’s story and be able to raise money and increase research funds for pancreatic cancer,” Marsh expressed in her post-win interview, shared on Miss America’s Instagram story.