Miss America, an Air Force lieutenant, talks empowerment in Dayton visit
Madison Marsh has already earned several distinguished titles in her 22 years of life: pilot, U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and Harvard student.
All of these are noteworthy on their own, but when combined with her most recent accomplishment, Marsh has made history.
As a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, she recently became the first active duty military officer to win the title of Miss America since the pageant began more than a century ago.
Marsh, who is originally from Fort Smith, Arkansas, will now complete a year of service as Miss America, a role which will be fulfilled alongside her military duties.
“The Air Force has been really wonderful about working with Miss America (the organization) by keeping me on active duty this year, as I do recruiting on the road,” she said during a stop at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Tuesday, where she spoke about her experience in the two roles during an NCAA tournament First Four event hosted by The Big Hoopla.
Every few days, Marsh said she’s in a new location as she travels the country, stopping for public appearances and events.
“One event may include putting on my (Air Force) uniform to speak to classrooms of students about what it means to serve our country, and 10 minutes later, I could be changing into something like this to attend a speaking event or the Super Bowl,” she said, referencing the black jumper, high heels, tiara, and Miss America sash she wore Tuesday.
In pursuit of her dreams,
Marsh has helped shatter the stereotypes often associated with beauty pageants. She said she’s driven to do so by empowering others and leading by example.
“I just really hope this opens up doors for other women in the military and in pageants, because that’s what it’s all about: enabling people to do things they’re passionate about,” she said. “If I could have helped (inspire) someone to take that one little step, then it was all worth it ... because the only person that can set your limits or tell you no is you.”
Prior to being crowned this January, Marsh graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado with a degree in physics. She was commissioned as an officer in June 2023.
Though Marsh said she
previously had a lifelong dream to become an astronaut, she is considering other avenues now.
She plans to complete a master’s degree at Harvard Kennedy School, where she will study public policy through the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Civilian Institution Programs.
This shift in trajectory was driven by a painful loss she experienced as a teenager.
Marsh’s mother, Whitney Marsh, died from pancreatic cancer at age 41 in November 2018, just months before her daughter was set to begin at the Air Force Academy.
“Actually, the night before, I received a call from my congressman telling me I’d gotten early admission (into the academy), so the last thing I got to tell my mother before she passed was that I was going to my dream school,”
Marsh said.
Now, Marsh is determined to change the health care landscape when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer through policy change and advocacy. She is currently co-founder and president of the Whitney Marsh Foundation, which funds national pancreatic oncology research for treatment and early detection of the disease.
Marsh said her mother’s life inspired her to forge her own path despite the odds.
“It was really her spirit and positivity that inspired me to pour into my own life and to do all the things that I dreamed up, because I’m very lucky to get to have every day here,” she said.