Marsh posed for photos with student attendees throughout the event.
GRACE CARDINAL/ THE QUADRANGLE
By Grace Cardinal, Editor-in-Chief
Madison Marsh, 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force and Miss America 2024, paid a visit to Manhattan University’s campus on Thursday to meet with students, AFROTC cadets, faculty and staff.
Marsh’s impressive resume began long before she was crowned with her pageant title. She graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2023 with a degree in astrophysics and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public policy. In addition to traveling the country speaking to young women in the military, Marsh spends time on early cancer detection research, as she co-founded the Whitney Marsh Foundation after losing her mother to pancreatic cancer six years ago.
Marsh was also record-breaking with her Miss America title win, becoming the first active duty service member to win in the pagent’s 103 year history.
“I think it just shows that women can do anything that they set their minds to, because I want everyone to be able to look at this year and not just think that they can join the military or be Miss America,” Marsh said. “I want them to really reflect on what they care about and are passionate about, and if they have multiple interests that maybe stereotypically conflict one another, they can see after this year that they can do whatever they want, and all that matters is your passion and your work ethic.”
Nicole Brosnan, associate director of orientation and student engagement at MU, spoke to The Quadrangle about the importance of bringing strong female leaders to campus.
“I think a lot of times females in particular, feel imposter syndrome,” Brosnan said. “So when you see other people doing these incredible things and going to places and winning things and becoming officers in the Air Force, you feel really empowered and that you can become her one day.”
While some may see Miss America as a simple beauty contest, much more happens behind the scenes.
“I think the least impressive thing about all the women that compete is their outward appearance,” Marsh said. “What is most impressive is when you watch any of the Miss America competitions, you’re going to find women that are some of the most intelligent, well spoken, passionate, community-driven people that you will meet. You are not confined by the way that you look or the background that you came from. You have the ability to change so many things for so many other people across the US and beyond our borders as well.”
Lauren Underwood, an AFROTC cadet and senior psychology major, had the opportunity to interview Marsh while she was visiting.
“I come from a military family,” Underwood said. “I’m the first female in my family to serve in the military. I’m also very girly and very bubbly. So to me, it really means a lot that I got to interview someone who is very girly, who is very educated, intelligent, smart, beautiful, who also took that oath as well. It means a lot to see that there is a place that you can still be you, and you don’t have to sacrifice personality traits.”
Underwood’s favorite topic of discussion with Marsh was what service meant to her, both in her position within the Air Force and as Miss America.
“We discussed a lot about the notion of service, because one of the questions that I asked her is that service is such a big part of the Miss America Foundation as well as the military. What does service mean to her? How has she been able to incorporate it?” Underwood said. “She said, with the Miss America platform as well as the military, that people are able to see that we’re not just a uniform. We are a people business. We chose this profession because we want to give back. We want to protect the country. We want to show the people that we do care and we’re here for you.”
As for advice she planned to give the female cadets, Marsh wanted to encourage them to be themselves and not hold back.
“I’ve gone through a lot of different changes in my jobs over the past couple of years, going from being a cadet to being a grad student, now being Miss America,” Marsh said. “I’ve gotten to see a lot of different areas, and so many different times where I’ve been challenged every single day and ensuring that the person that you need to back the most is yourself. You’re going to be your biggest enemy, sometimes trying to hold yourself back, but you can also be your biggest hero and trusting yourself, believing in yourself, pushing yourself harder than you ever could have imagined. There’s just so much opportunity that’s out there in the world that I think people don’t even realize that they can achieve until they do it.”
Underwood walked away most inspired by Marsh’s drive to serve.
“It was really cool to sit down with another young, girly female who has such an immense amount of drive to serve,” Underwood said. “That drive is something I try to emulate in my own career, in my own life, and what I try to instill to these cadets. It was cool to have more of a motivating factor to still instill that drive in people…Here is someone who was once one of us, and look at all the cool things she’s been able to do.”
Whether you wear a uniform or not, Marsh’s goal is to help young girls see strong leaders in whatever industry they may choose.
“Billie Jean King loves to say, ‘if you can see it, you can be it’,” Marsh said. “Having that representation, like me getting to represent in the uniform, is showing those younger girls that you don’t have to give up outside interest or outside passions just because you put on the uniform. That’s what makes us stronger. That’s what helps us work harder as a unit with each other. And that can go for many other different jobs, if those young men and women can look up and see someone that looks like them in a position, that gives them that fire and that passion to also see themselves being able to take that on later on in their life.”