Miss Colorado, Madison Marsh is set to make history this weekend as the first active-duty Air Force officer to compete for the coveted Miss America title.

The 22-year-old Arkansas native expressed her excitement about bringing together two important aspects of her life and hopes to inspire others to break barriers and not limit themselves.

Marsh, who graduated from the Air Force Academy with a degree in physics just days before clinching the Miss Colorado crown, will join 49 other beauty queen hopefuls in the competition taking place in Florida on January 13 and 14. While serving as a second lieutenant in the Air Force, Marsh is also pursuing her master's degree in public policy at the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School and preparing for the Miss America pageant.

In an interview, Marsh highlighted the synergy between her military duties and pageant training, explaining that staying physically fit for the military naturally coincides with the rigorous physical preparations for the pageant.

Her journey to the Miss America stage was not a conventional one. Marsh had her sights set on becoming a pilot long before she considered competing in pageants. Growing up attending space camps and enjoying flying lessons, she joined the Air Force Academy to turn her dreams into reality. Read her biography here.

It was during her time at the academy that Marsh decided to explore pageants as an extracurricular activity. She found solace in the sense of community, the opportunity for public speaking, and the focus on community service that pageants offered. After just three years, Marsh achieved her goal and won the Miss Colorado crown, an accomplishment she described as surreal. She believes she is the first active-duty officer from any branch to represent at the national level of the Miss America organization.

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Inspired by the loss of her mother to pancreatic cancer, Marsh plans to utilize her studies at the Kennedy School to delve into policy-making and the challenges of implementing effective cancer policies. She aims to address issues such as economic environments and social pressures that hinder the implementation of impactful cancer policies for all Americans.

As Madison Marsh takes the stage at the Miss America competition this weekend, she embodies the spirit of determination, breaking barriers, and serving as an inspiration to others.