Miss America 2024
Active-duty Air Force officer inspires women to chase their dreams and take charge of their health
Navigating new territory is one of Madison Marsh’s greatest skills. She’s a second lieutenant in the Air Force, a Harvard student pursuing her master’s degree in public policy and an advocate for pancreatic cancer awareness. She’s also Miss America 2024.
As the first active-duty service member to win the title, Marsh, 22, knows she is in a unique position to inspire others and to face challenges. She described one of these times in a monologue during the talent portion of the pageant. Wearing an aviation headset, she reenacted the dramatic time that heavy rain and turbulence threatened her first solo flight at age 16.
“Those obstacles are what shape us,” said Marsh, who was representing the state of Colorado. “I enjoy showing women that they can be strong and feminine. There are stereotypes about women in pageants and stereotypes about women in the military. I want to show women they can have the confidence to chase and achieve their dreams.”
As Miss America, Marsh will travel the country discussing military careers and promoting pancreatic cancer awareness and research. The cause is important because her mom, Whitney, died from the disease at age 41 in 2018. Marsh said her mom was initially misdiagnosed, delaying detection and treatment.
In her honor, Marsh is co-founder and president of the Whitney Marsh Foundation, which raises research funds and strives to increase early detection.
“My mom’s story can help other women,” Marsh said. “She was misdiagnosed, and we had no cancer in our family. Looking back on the experience, we could have done so many things differently. I want women to recognize the signs of pancreatic cancer and take action.”
As a health advocate, Marsh welcomes the new national three-year alliance between the American Heart Association’s women’s initiative, Go Red for Women, and the Miss America’s Scholarship Foundation. The collaboration aims to improve women’s health and promote fitness initiatives.
“The daily lifestyle choices we make can help us fight off numerous diseases,” she said. “I saw this firsthand with my mom battling cancer. She was an avid runner, biker, swimmer and tennis player who ate right, never smoked and invested in her mental health. Those lifestyle choices gave her a better chance at beating pancreatic cancer and she never stopped even at the end.
“These values exist at the American Heart Association for women’s health, and I love getting to see how it overlaps with a cause near and dear to my heart.”
Since 2004, the Go Red for Women movement has worked to advance health policies and reduce cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer of women. Miss America’s support will include awareness campaigns, community outreach and fundraising.
In her own life, Marsh knows the challenges of staying healthy. As she’s taken on more responsibilities and travel as Miss America, she said she recently started using a trainer to help plan healthy meals and fitness routines.
“One of the biggest things I learned in the military was to rely on other people,” she said. “There’s a lot of beauty in asking for help. Women need to know they aren’t alone and asking for help is a sign of strength.”
