For the first time in the competition’s history, the newly-crowned Miss America is an active-duty officer in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Madison Marsh, who entered the competition as Miss Colorado, took home the tiara Sunday night in Orlando, Fla.
Marsh graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2023 with a physics degree and is currently attending the Harvard Kennedy School.
She also co-founded the Whitney Marsh Foundation with other members of her family, a nonprofit organization that has raised over $250,000 for pancreatic cancer research. The foundation is named after Marsh’s mother, who died in 2018 of pancreatic cancer.
Marsh spoke during interviews about starting the foundation as well as juggling being Miss Colorado with being an active-duty servicemember.
In addition to the honor of wearing the Miss America crown for the next year, Marsh’s other winnings included a $60,000 tuition scholarship.