A United States Air Force officer training to be a Top Gun fighter pilot is this year’s Miss America.
Second Lt. Madison Marsh, 22, who represented the state of Colorado in the pageant, was crowned Sunday night in Orlando, Florida.
According to CNN, Marsh is the first active-duty officer to ever receive the national title. The 2023 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy holds a degree in physics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School with a national Truman Scholarship.
Marsh, a native of Arkansas, decided to try competing in pageants as an extracurricular activity while at the Air Force Academy, the Daily Mail reported.
Marsh said she enjoys pageant competitions because of the “community service aspects” and the focus on public speaking, the Daily Mail reported. She also supports how the pageant system has changed, especially in regards to women's fitness.
“Pageants are changing and one of the ways is in what being physically fit means to women,” Marsh explained.
“For me, it's great because I need to stay physically fit and in the gym for the military, so it already coincides with pageant training.”
Marsh took part in her first pageant while at the USAFA, according to the Daily Mail.
“As a freshman at the Academy, you might have a hard time finding your identity in a very new and challenging environment,” she said.
That led to Marsh being crowned Miss Colorado in 2023.
The Miss America pageant followed three nights of preliminary competitions, CNN reported. At the beginning of the main event, the field was narrowed to 11 semi-finalists — 10 chosen by the preliminary judges, and one by a public vote open to pageant fans and followers across the United States.
Those 11 women then took part in a fitness showcase; a “hot topics” discussion round; a talent performance; and an evening gown presentation — before the five finalists were announced, reported CNN.
The final five included Marsh and Breaux, and second-, third- and fourth-runners-up, Cydney Bridges of Indiana, Mallory Hudson of Kentucky and Caroline Parente of Rhode Island, respectively, CNN reported.
Discussion round topics included terrorism, technology, nutrition and climate change, Marsh responded to the topic of “drugs in America” by discussing her late mother’s battle with pancreatic cancer. In the talent round, she presented a spoken-word piece centered on receiving a pilot’s license at 16.
The five finalists then faced an additional question about their goals as Miss America. Marsh responded by highlighting her military credentials as an embodiment of her commitment to learning and leading “with passion,” CNN said.
Marsh succeeds Miss America 2023, Grace Stanke of Wisconsin.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.