Air Force 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, Miss America 2024, To Visit Manhattan University
First Active Duty Service Member in Pageant History
On Thursday, October 17, Madison Marsh, the first active-duty service member to earn the Miss America crown, will visit Manhattan University to speak with the University’s Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) cadets, among other members of the University community.
Marsh is a 2nd Lt. in the US Air Force and graduated from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO with a degree in astrophysics. She is pursuing a master’s in public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School through the Air Force Civilian Institution Program. Since winning the Miss America crown in January, 2024, she has been traveling the country and speaking with students to break down stereotypes about women in the military and women in pageantry, while also inspiring women everywhere to achieve their goals.
Said Lt. Col. Richard Nova, Chair of the Department of Air and Space Studies at Manhattan, “We are delighted to host Lt. Marsh at our beautiful Riverdale campus. Her life story is a most interesting one, not only serving as a well-respected Miss America, but as a military service member, a person who earned her civilian pilot’s license at the age of 17, and a philanthropist with a focus on early cancer detection research.”
Manhattan University has been recognized as a Gold Status Military Friendly School for 2024/2025 by The Military Friendly Schools Survey, the longest-running and most comprehensive review of college and university institutions serving military and veteran students.