Air Force officer-turned-Miss America says you don’t have to ‘sacrifice’ your personality to join the military

As the first employee Air officer to be crowned Miss America, Madison Marsh hopes her win will inspire others in more ways than one.

During the performance at “Fox and Friends” on Tuesday, the 23-year-old Arkansas native — who previously held the title of Miss Colorado before earning the title Miss America 2024 – opened up about her different roles and detailed the moment she realized the impact she had on her peers.

“I was at the Air Force Academy and I was sitting in the library and a young cadet and her mom came up to me and asked if I was Miss America and said ‘Yes.’ Air Force Academy and accept your appointment,” Marsh told host Ainsley Earhardt. “And she saw me winning and she realized she didn’t have to sacrifice parts of her personality to join the military. I thought that was so special.”

MISS AMERICA SAYS AVIATION CHANGED LIFE: ‘EVERYTHING WAS WONDERFUL’

While Marsh said 2024 was a “historic year” for both Miss America and the military, it was personal growth that really made an impact on her.

“Both organizations were doing something very new and we learned a lot of lessons,” she told Earhardt. “But I think even more important is the personal lesson learned, the ability to show people that everyone has a story to tell. Everyone has the ability to influence and inspire others if you choose to share your voice.

“The biggest takeaway I’ve had this year is about my mother dying of pancreatic cancer,” she continued. “I’ve been on the road a lot this year and haven’t been able to see my family a ton. It really comes down to having the freedom to choose whatever you want to do with your life. I chose a path where I wanted to serve my country in the Air Force, but I also wanted to serve in other ways by working with pancreatic cancer patients.”

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WATCH: FIRST ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBER WINS MISS AMERICA 2024

“Once you decide to do what you love, success will follow, so you can stop chasing after accolades or what people want you to do and really just find good people to surround yourself with,” she concluded.

In the author’s text written for USA Today On Jan. 3, Marsh detailed her reasons for entering the pageant world.

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“I entered the pageant, first for Miss Colorado, while attending the academy, so part of my motivation was to practice public speaking in a real environment, and another part of my motivation was to give myself a temporary break from my rigid military lifestyle. Then I won.” she wrote.

“From my point of view, I didn’t rewrite history or change the course of military culture as many news sources have reported. But reflecting on my closing year, I think I did something simpler, but perhaps more meaningful: I gave hope to a generation of young people who have high goals, but feel limited by their perception of who they are. I’ve shown people that the only limit to your goals is the work you put in.”

While Marsh admitted it’s “easy to get caught up in chasing the next achievement, climbing the ladder or worrying about what others think,” she’s always grounded when she thinks about her mother — who died of pancreatic cancer in 2018.

“I am reminded that life is too short to waste it on things that do not fulfill us,” she wrote.

“This year I realized that one of the most liberating things a person can do is to stop doing things because of other people’s opinions,” she added. “Let go of what doesn’t fulfill you. Let go of what isn’t important. I didn’t compete in Miss America to prove anything to anyone. I did it because I loved the process. I loved the challenge. I loved how it made me grow in unexpected ways .”

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