US air force fighter pilot, 22, training to be a Top Gun is also vying for the Miss America crown

A US Air Force fighter pilot being trained as a Top Gun could also be crowned the next Miss America.

Madison Marsh learned to fly and obtained her pilot’s license at the age of 17. She is now a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and has a coveted spot to train as a fighter pilot.

The 22-year-old Harvard University student was crowned Miss Colorado in May 2023, just before graduating from the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and starting work as an Air Force officer.

The Arkansas native decided to try competing in pageants as an extracurricular activity while at USAFA and will now make a bid for the Miss America crown in Florida on Sunday.

She enjoys competing in pageants because of the “community service aspects” and the focus on public speaking. She also applauds how the election system has evolved, especially with regard to women’s fitness.

Marsh believes she is the first active-duty officer from any military branch to represent the Miss America organization at the national level.

“Pageants are changing and one of the ways that’s happening is what being physically fit means for women,” Marsh explained.

“For me it’s great because I have to stay physically fit and in the gym for the army, so it already coincides with the election training.”

She competed in her first pageant while attending USAFA. She said: “As a first year at the Academy, it can be difficult to find your identity in a very new and challenging environment.

“My cousin has competed in pageants for a long time, and one of the big things I love is the community service aspect and the focus on public speaking.”

Three years later, Marsh was crowned Miss Colorado, which she said was “very surreal.”

As Miss Colorado, Marsh enjoys talking to other young girls about being a pilot and serving in the military, and sees it as an opportunity to dispel stereotypes about military women.

She said: ‘It’s an amazing experience to bring both sides of the favorite parts of my life together and hopefully make a difference for others to realize that you don’t have to limit yourself.

‘In the army it is an open space to really lead the way you want to lead: in and out of uniform. I felt like pageants, and especially winning Miss Colorado, was a way to really illustrate that and set the tone to make other people feel more comfortable finding what means the most to them. ‘

Marsh was also quick to address the many prejudices and stereotypes about beauty pageants and their contestants.

“The Miss America organization that I am a part of now is completely focused on what you can do for the community through your social impact, making sure that you have a great resume, that you are good at public speaking, that you can connect with people and be empowered to lead in different ways, and that’s not just about you,” she explained.

From an early age, Marsh had a love for science and a dream of becoming a pilot and astronaut. Her parents encouraged her dreams and sent her to Space Camp at age 13, where she met astronauts and fighter pilots.

Around that time, she learned about USAFA and started taking flying lessons at the age of 15. Two years later, she earned her pilot’s license and then began working toward her goal of becoming a cadet.

Now Marsh’s future may see her as a Top Gun fighter pilot.

After graduating from USAFA and enlisting in the Air Force, she landed a coveted pilot spot and is currently determining the career options and personal projects she wants to pursue.

However, the sad loss of her mother to pancreatic cancer may lead Marsh to pursue a career in cancer research.

She said, “I lost my mother to pancreatic cancer about five years ago and almost immediately afterward I started a nonprofit with my family to raise money and awareness of pancreatic cancer in our city.

“I’m now trying to take the next step and use my studies at the Kennedy School to learn about the inner workings and difficulties of what policy really looks like.

“Issues such as the economic climate and other social pressures could hinder our ability to implement cancer policies that could impact all Americans.”

In September, Marsh started a two-year master’s program in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School through the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Civilian Institution Programs.

She will also collaborate with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and a Harvard Medical School professor to conduct research into the early detection of pancreatic cancer.

“Towards the end of my time at USAFA, I began to realize that my greater passions were in policymaking and cancer research, so that’s why I ended up at the Kennedy School,” she added.