She's got my vote.
Madison Marsh, an Air Force officer who also happens to be Miss Colorado, will make history over the weekend by becoming the first-ever active-duty military officer to compete in the Miss America pageant.
A quick reminder of Miss America's mission:
The Miss America brand mission is "Empowering Women to Lead" in every area of life from philanthropy, business, arts, politics, education and more. Miss America and Miss America's Teen local and state ambassadors contribute thousands of community service hours annually, raising funds for philanthropic partners.
Sounds about right for Miss Marsh, who will be joining the other 49 contestants on stage on Saturday and Sunday. Here's a little bio on Miss Marsh:
Madison is a 2023 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in physics. She is a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force making her the first Active Duty Air Force officer to be a Miss America state titleholder. After her mother's passing from pancreatic cancer in 2018, she began the Whitney Marsh Foundation with her family. As President and Founder, she has been able to raise more than a quarter million dollars for research with her leadership team at the foundation. Madison is currently a graduate intern with Harvard Medical School to utilize artificial intelligence to detect pancreatic cancer. She is now pursuing her Master's in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School with her national Truman Scholarship. In her free time, Madison enjoys flying planes, cooking pasta, and reading.
- National Truman Scholar
- 2-time National Astronaut Scholar
- 8-time Dean's List at USAFA
- 3-time Superintendent's List - USAFA
- NASA Intern for gamma-ray burst research
- National Rhodes Finalist
- Certified Private Pilot
- Awarded Pilot as Official Air Force Career
- Black Belt in Taekwondo
You know, they really don't need to hold the competition this weekend, cuz we already know who the winner is.
This gal:
Keep an eye out for Miss Colorado this weekend. If she's not the winner on Sunday night I don't know if anyone will ever take the pageant seriously again. With those credentials, and at a time when our military is in such focus over in the Middle East — especially from the air — it would only be appropriate for the crown to be placed on Miss Colorado's head.
I'll leave you with her words regarding this weekend's competition.
"It's an awesome experience to bring both sides of the favorite parts of my life together and hopefully make a difference for others to be able to realize that you don't have to limit yourself … In the military, it's an open space to really lead in the way that you want to lead — in and out of uniform. I felt like pageants, and specifically winning Miss Colorado, was a way to truly exemplify that and to set the tone to help make other people feel more comfortable finding what means most to them."
Go get em, Miss Colorado!
Although I should give a special shoutout to Miss Washington, who is also a service member, and might give Miss Colorado a run for her money!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
