Madison Marsh created history at the finals of Miss America 2024 held on 14th January 2024 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida by becoming the first ever member of the United States Armed Forces to win Miss America. Along with the Miss America 2024 title, Marsh is a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Madison is 22 years of age and holds the position of second lieutenant in the US Air Force. Alongside, Marsh is also a master's student at the Harvard Kennedy School's public policy program. Since Marsh was a little kid, she aspired to be a pilot.
To make her dream come true, her parents sent her to a space camp when she was just 13 years of age where she met astronauts and fighter pilots. At the young age of 15, she began taking flying lessons and two years later, she received her pilot’s license. Madison aspires to be a ‘Top Gun’ fighter pilot.
Marsh started competing in pageantry while she was in the academy. “My cousin had competed in pageants for a long time, and one of the big things about it that I love is the community service aspect and the focus on public speaking”, she said.
Marsh lost her mother to pancreatic cancer. Since 2018, Marsh has been raising awareness and money for pancreatic cancer research through the foundation she founded with her father and sister in honor of her mother. The Whitney Marsh Foundation has raised over a quarter-million dollars through marathons and charity events.
On winning the national crown and a 50,000 dollars scholarship, Marsh took to her official social media as she expressed her feelings in a post captioned, “America, I’m all yours ???? We made history last night as the first military member to win Miss America. Here’s to showing the world that women can do anything. I wish I had enough space to personally thank every person who has been here along the way — just know I am thinking of all of you. Let’s have ourselves a year.”
Along with Madison, Ellie Breaux was adjudged as the first runner-up, Cydney Bridges of Indiana was awarded as the second runner-up, Mallory Hudson of Kentucky was adjudged as the third runner-up, and Caroline Parente of Rhode Island was declared as the fourth runner-up.