By Dean Murray
Miss America Madison Marsh – also a U.S. Air Force 2nd lieutenant – has reflected on her year in the role.
A potential Top Gun-style aviator, with a coveted place to train as a fighter pilot, the 23-year-old has had a busy 12 months since winning the title in January.
The Arkansas native has spent months traveling the country inspiring women and advocating for military careers while pursuing her Master’s degree in public policy at Harvard University.
However, in an interview this month, Madison has reaffirmed her heart is in the Air Force.
Speaking about her early dream to be an astronaut, it was the positive influence of the Air Force that eventually enamored her to the military branch.
Madison said: “The thing that started it all was actually space camp. And I got to see the stars for the very first time, like without any light pollution and started talking to these people about space camp ended up going.
“When I met these astronauts, I had heard so much about the military and how almost all of them were retired military fighter pilots, test pilots and I knew that was something that I wanted to do.
“You know, my goals have kind of changed over the past couple of years because my entire path in entering the military started because I wanted to be an astronaut, and now I no longer want to be an astronaut.
“So it always left me with the question of why am I staying? Because if that dream has changed, what am I here for? And ultimately, it was because of the people that I’ve gotten to have.
“People are the most important thing in my entire life. And the fact that the Air Force, wherever I’ve gone, I have found family and friends and people that are going to take care of me.
“And to be honest, I don’t really feel like that in any other job or role that I’ve gotten to have. The Air Force and the people in it are always going to have my back. And I think that’s such a beautiful thing.
“When looking at a mission that is so much bigger than yourself and also having that family component of people that are always going to have your back.”
From a young age, Madison 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.
Around that time, she learned about the United States Air Force Academy. At 15 years old, she started flying lessons earning her pilot’s license two years later and then began to work towards her goal of becoming a cadet.
Madison 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.
Currently, she is in a master’s degree program at the Harvard Kennedy School through the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Civilian Institution Programs.
However, Miss America still has the option to attend undergraduate pilot training once she completes her studies.
Madison also honors her mother Whitney, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2018, when Madison was just 17 years old. She dedicates her time in the spotlight to raising awareness about pancreatic cancer, both through the founding of the Whitney Marsh Foundation and through supporting the PanCAN charity’s initiatives.
