As the first active duty Air Force officer To be crowned Miss America, Madison Marsh hopes her win will inspire others in more ways than one.
During his appearance on “Fox and friends” On Tuesday, the 23-year-old Arkansas native — who previously held the Miss Colorado title before winning Miss America 2024 She opened up about her different roles and spoke in detail about the moment she realized how much of an influence she had on her peers.
“I was at the Air Force Academy, and I was sitting in the library, and a young student and her mother came up to me and asked me if I was Miss America and they said, ‘Yes.’ They told me that she was really on the fence and didn’t think she would go to the Air Force Academy and be appointed,” Marsh said. By host Ainsley Earhardt. “And she saw me win, and she realized she didn't have to sacrifice parts of herself to join the Army. I thought that was very special.”
Miss America says serving in the Air Force is life-changing: 'Everything has been great'
Madison Marsh is proud of her service in the military and her accomplishments on the pageant stage. (Miss America)
And while Marsh said 2024 has been a “historic year” for both Miss America and the military as well, it's the personal growth that has really impacted her.
“Both organizations were doing something very new, and we learned a lot of lessons,” she told Ehrhardt. “But I think what's more important are the personal lessons learned, and the ability to show people that everyone has a story to tell. Everyone has the power to influence and inspire others if you choose to share your voice.”
She continued, “The biggest thing I learned this year was because my mother passed away from pancreatic cancer.” “I've been on the road a lot this year and haven't been able to see my family much. It's really about having the freedom to choose what you want to do with your life. I chose to go down a path where I wanted to serve my country in the Air Force, but I also wanted to serve them in ways Another is through working with pancreatic cancer patients.”
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Madison Marsh uses her platform to advocate for funding pancreatic cancer research. (Miss America)
WATCH: First active duty service member wins 2024 Miss America pageant
“When you choose to do what you love, success will follow, so you can stop chasing different trophies or what people want you to do, and find good people to surround yourself with,” she concluded.
In an editorial written for USA Today On January 3, Marsh detailed her reasons for getting into pageantry in the first place.
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“I entered the pageant, first for Miss Colorado, while attending the academy, so part of my motivation was to practice public speaking in a real setting, and another part of my motivation was to give myself temporary breaks from my strict army. Lifestyle Then… I won ” I wrote.
Madison Marsh is a second lieutenant in the Air Force. (Miss America)
“From my perspective, I did not rewrite history or change the course of military culture as many news sources reported. But in reflecting on my year as it comes to a close, I believe I did something simpler, but perhaps more important: I provided hope to a generation of young people.” “It offered hope to those who have lofty goals but feel limited by their perception of the 'type' of person they are, and showed people that the only limit to your goals is the amount of work you put in.”
Although Marsh admitted that “it's easy to get caught up in chasing the next milestone, climbing the ladder or worrying about what other people think,” she always feels a sense of shock when she thinks of her mother — who died of pancreatic cancer in 2018.
“I remember that life is too short to waste it on things that do not satisfy us,” she wrote.
“This year, I realized that one of the most liberating things one can do is to stop doing things for other people's opinions,” she added. “Let go of what doesn't satisfy you. Let go of what doesn't matter. I didn't compete for Miss America to prove anything to anyone. I did it because I loved the process. I loved the challenge. I loved the way you pushed me. Grow in unexpected ways.”
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