We love supporting “mold breakers”! Check out “mold breaker”, Madison Marsh! She is a great example of “ANY ONE CAN WIN A PAGEANT“. She’s a queen in combat boots and as it happens a flight suit.
She’s the first active-duty Air Force officer to compete for Miss America crown.
Madison Marsh is a 22-year-old 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force is training to be a Top Gun fighter. She is the first active-duty Air Force officer to compete for the Miss America crown. She was crowned Miss Colorado in May 2023, just before graduating from the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and commissioning as an Air Force Officer.
Marsh is originally from Fort Smith, Arkansas. From a young age, Marsh had a love of science and a dream to be a pilot and astronaut. Her parents encouraged her dreams, sending her to Space Camp when she was 13 years old where she met astronauts and fighter pilots. She learned to fly and got her pilot’s license at 17 years old. She has now earned a coveted spot to train as a fighter pilot in the Air Force.
Marsh is a National Truman Scholar, a 2-time National Astronaut Scholar, and an 8-time Dean’s List at USAFA. She is also a NASA Intern for gamma-ray burst research, a National Rhodes Finalist, a certified private pilot, and a black belt in Taekwondo.
The Fort Smith native decided to try competing in pageants as an extracurricular activity while at USAFA and will now make a bid for the Miss America crown in Florida on Sunday. She loves competing in pageants because of the ‘community service aspects’ and the focus on public speaking. She also applauds how the pageant system has evolved, especially in regards to women’s fitness.. As Miss Colorado, Marsh enjoys talking with other young girls about being a pilot and serving in the military, seeing it as an opportunity to dispel stereotypes that exist about military women.
In September, Marsh started a two-year master’s degree program in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School through the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Civilian Institution Programs. She will also work with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and a professor from the Harvard Medical School to research early detection of pancreatic cancer.
Marsh, whose mother died of pancreatic cancer in 2018, additionally serves as president and founder of the Whitney Marsh Foundation, which raises money for research into the treatment and early detection of the pancreatic cancer.
Congratulations Madison! We look forward to following your reign.
