The Miss America organization crowned Miss Colorado as its 2024 winner on Sunday, making her the first active member of America’s military to win the title.
Madison Marsh, 22, is a second lieutenant in the Air Force and a master’s student at the Harvard Kennedy School’s public policy program. Marsh, representing Colorado, was crowned as the winner by Grace Stanke of Wisconsin, the winner of Miss America 2023.
“You can achieve anything,” Marsh said in an interview that the organization shared on social media. “The sky is not the limit, and the only person that’s stopping you is you.”
The Air Force joined Marsh in celebrating her historic win on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Ahead of Marsh’s crowning, she talked about her since-deceased mother’s battle with pancreatic cancer during a Q&A session with the other contestants. She also revealed during a talent session that she earned her pilot license when she was just 16.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Among those who celebrated Marsh’s victory was Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who stated that Marsh had visited the Capitol in 2021 to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer. He also revealed that the topic of pancreatic cancer was why she started her own nonprofit organization, which was dedicated in memory of her mother.
The runner-up of Sunday’s competition was Ellie Breaux, who represented Texas.