Air Force officer-turned-Miss America says you don't need to 'sacrifice' your personality to join the military
As the first active-duty Air Force officer to be crowned Miss America, Madison Marsh is hoping her victory can inspire others in more ways than one.
During an appearance on "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday, the 23-year-old Arkansas native — who previously held the title of Miss Colorado before earning 2024 Miss America — opened up about her various roles and detailed the moment she realized what an impact she has on her peers.
"I was at the Air Force Academy, and I was sitting in the library, and a young cadet and her mom had come up to me and asked if I was Miss America and said, ‘Yes.’ They told me that she was really on the fence and didn't think she was going to go to the Air Force Academy and accept her appointment," Marsh told host Ainsley Earhardt. "And she saw me win, and she realized she didn't have to sacrifice parts of her personality in order to join the military. I thought that was so special. "
MISS AMERICA SAYS AIR FORCE SERVICE IS LIFE-CHANGING: ‘IT'S ALL BEEN JUST WONDERFUL'
While Marsh said 2024 was a "historic year" for both Miss America and the military as well, it was the personal growth that truly impacted her.
"Both organizations were doing something very new, and we had a lot of lessons learned," she told Earhardt. "But I think more importantly, the personal lessons learned, the ability to show people that everyone has a story to tell. Everybody has the ability to impact and inspire others if you choose to share your voice.
"The biggest takeaway I've had this year goes back to my mom passing away from pancreatic cancer," she continued. "I have been on the road a lot this year and haven't gotten to see my family a ton. It really comes down to you have the freedom to choose whatever you want to do with your life. I chose to do a path where I wanted to serve my country in the Air Force, but I also wanted to serve them in other ways by working with pancreatic cancer patients."
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WATCH: FIRST ACTIVE-DUTY SERVICE MEMBER WINS 2024 MISS AMERICA PAGEANT
"When you choose to do what you love, success is going to follow, so you can stop chasing different accolades or what people want you to do and truly just find good people to surround yourself with," she concluded.
In an op-ed piece written for USA Today on Jan. 3, Marsh detailed her reasoning for entering the pageant world 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 my public speaking in a real-world environment, and another part of my motivation was to give myself temporary breaks from my rigid military lifestyle. Then… I won." she wrote.
"From my point of view, I did not rewrite history or alter the course of military culture as many news sources reported. But in reflecting on my year as it comes to an end, I think I did something simpler, yet maybe more meaningful: I provided hope to a generation of young people. I provided hope for those who have lofty goals but feel limited by their perception of what ‘type’ of person they are. I showed people that the only limitation to your goals is the amount of work you put in."
Though Marsh admitted it's "easy to get caught up in chasing the next accomplishment, climbing the ladder or worrying about what others think," she's always grounded when she thinks of her mom — who died from pancreatic cancer in 2018.
"I’m reminded that life is too short to waste on things that do not fulfill us," she wrote.
"This year, I have realized that one of the most liberating things one can do is to stop doing things for the sake of other people’s opinions," she added. "Quit what does not fulfill you. Let go of what does not matter. I did not compete for Miss America to prove anything to anyone. I did it because I loved the process. I loved the challenge. I loved how it pushed me to grow in unexpected ways."