U.S. Air Force Officer Madison Marsh Crowned as 2024 Miss America: ‘The Sky Is Not the Limit’

US Air Force Officer Madison Marsh is Miss America 2024.

Marsh, 22, who is also a master’s student at Harvard Kennedy School’s public policy program according to CNN, was crowned Miss America 2024 in Orlando on Sunday. She previously represented Colorado.

“You can achieve anything. The sky is not the limit and the only person stopping you is you,” Marsh said in an interview he shared via the Miss America Instagram story.

She then added that if she can come from a “small town and not be part of a pageant,” and step into the pageant world, then anyone else can.

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Madison Marsh crowned the new Miss America 2024.

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Marsh, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, is the first active-duty Air Force officer to receive the title, succeeding Grace Stanke of Wisconsin, who was Miss America 2023. Stanke was also on hand Sunday to crown Marsh.

The US Air Force celebrated Marsha’s win with a post on X — formerly known as Twitter — calling her “our very own.”

A total of 51 competitors participated, representing the American states and the District of Columbia. The preliminary judges selected 10 contestants for selection, while the audience voted for one, resulting in 11 semi-finalists.

Madison Marsh crowned Miss America 2023, Grace Stanke.

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Before narrowing down to five finalists, the semi-finalists participated in four rounds of competition, which included a fitness runway walk, a “hot topic” discussion, a talent show and an evening gown presentation.

The finalists then had to talk about their dreams and goals as Miss America.

According to CNN, Marsh opened up about her mother’s later journey with pancreatic cancer when speaking on the topic of the drug debate in America. In the round of the talent show, she decided on the spoken word about getting a pilot’s license at the age of 16.

Ahead of the election, Marsh shared what motivated her to run. Speaking to SWNS, Per New York Post, she said: “It’s a great experience to bring both sides of the favorite parts of my life together and I hope to make a difference for others so they can realize that you don’t have to limit yourself.”

She continued: “In the military, it’s an open space to lead the way you want to – in and out of uniform. I felt like the pageant, and especially winning Miss Colorado, was a way for me to really show that and set the tone to help other people feel more comfortable finding what matters most to them.”

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Source: HIS Education