This past Sunday, January 14, the popular Miss America 2024 pageant was held at the Walt Disney Theater in Orlando, Florida. A total of 51 contestants appeared, each representing the fifty states of the United States and the D.C. And although the competition was very close, Madison Marsh, a 22-year-old young woman and second lieutenant in the US Air Force, was proclaimed the winner of the night.
The victory of Marsh, who represented the state of Colorado, is a historic event for the country, as it is the first time that an active officer of the United States Air Force manages to win the Miss America pageant.
The second lieutenant of the United States Air Force managed to beat the representative of the state of Texas, Ellie Breaux, also 22 years old and one of the three African-American representatives of the contest, in the final.
The organizers of the event wanted to renew the contest and adapt it to the current era. To do this, they decided to broadcast the three nights of competition online and ask the candidates a series of questions related to various social issues.
During the first night of competition, only eleven of the Miss America candidates managed to advance to the next phase. Later, the eleven finalists had to face four tests: a debate on “controversial topics”; a physical exhibition; a talent performance and a performance in evening dress. After that, the jury announced the rest of the five finalists, which included Cydney Bridges, from Indiana, Mallory Hudson, from Kentucky, and Caroline Parente, from Rhode Island.
Madison Marsh is not only the first United States Air Force officer to win the pageant, but she is also the first to participate. The 22-year-old began her studies in astronomy and astrophysics at the Air Force Academy in 2019. After graduating, Marsh entered the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts in July 2023, where she began pursuing a master’s degree in public policy.
