Harvard Grad Student Becomes First Active Military Member Crowned Miss America

Madison Marsh, who is working on her master's degree in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and currently a graduate intern with Harvard Medical School, was crowned on Sunday, Jan. 14. She is also the reigning Miss Colorado. 

The 22-year-old graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in physics in 2023, according to her pageant bio.

Marsh said the skills she learned at the Air Force Academy came in handy while competing for the crown.

“When I put on my uniform, I serve and I represent our country,” she told the Harvard Crimson. “When I put on the crown and sash, I’m serving, representing my community.”

Marsh started the Whitney Marsh Foundation after her mom died from pancreatic cancer in 2018, raising more than a quarter million dollars for research.

“I’m trying to take that background of my cancer research and applying that to the policy degree — trying to translate it to make sure that we’re enacting policy that’s equitable for all patients,” she said.

Marsh wants every young girl to be inspired, telling the newspaper, “The sky is not the limit.”

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