US Air Force officer Madison Marsh was just crowned Miss America. See photos of her at work.

While she was enrolled at the US Air Force Academy, Marsh was drawn to pageant competitions as an extracurricular activity from her desire to do community service and public speaking.

"As a freshman at the academy, you might have a hard time finding your identity in a very new and challenging environment," Marsh told the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). "My cousin had competed in pageants for a long time, and one of the big things about it that I love is the community service aspect and the focus on public speaking."

Three years later, she was crowned Miss Colorado just days before she graduated from USAFA and received her commission as a second lieutenant. The 22-year-old is attending Harvard Kennedy School with the AFIT's Civilian Institution Programs to study public policy. She also will participate in research on early detection of pancreatic cancer at the Harvard Medical School and Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Her mother died from pancreatic cancer in 2018, prompting Marsh's advocacy for patient care and research through her non-profit named after her mom, the Whitney Marsh Foundation.

Though pageantry and the military have their differences, Marsh said there are also a lot of similarities "because you're serving but in a different way."

"When I put on my uniform, I serve, and I represent our country," she told Harvard's student newspaper, The Crimson. "When I put on the crown and sash, I'm serving, representing my community."

Marsh credits her time at the Air Force Academy not only for her success in becoming a 2nd Lt. and the full-ride scholarship to Harvard, but for her Miss Colorado crown as well.

"I don't think I ever would have gotten into Harvard if I wouldn't have gone to the Air Force Academy," Marsh told The Crimson. "I don't think I ever would have become Miss Colorado without the Air Force Academy because they have trained me and honed in on my leadership."

Pageants are known for their interviews, social impact pitches, and evening gowns, but another big part of the competitions is fitness, an aspect that came more easily to Marsh because of her military training.

"Pageants are changing, and one of the ways is in what being physically fit means to women," Marsh told AFIT. "For me, it's great because I need to stay physically fit and in the gym for the military, so it already coincides with pageant training."

Following her win as Miss Colorado, Marsh used her platform, in conjunction with her military commission, to show young girls that "you don't have to play a conventional role," she told The Crimson.

"It's an awesome experience to bring both sides of the favorite parts of my life together and hopefully make a difference for others to be able to realize that you don't have to limit yourself," Marsh told AFIT. "In the military, it's an open space to really lead in the way that you want to lead — in and out of uniform. I felt like pageants, and specifically winning Miss Colorado, was a way to truly exemplify that and to set the tone to help make other people feel more comfortable finding what means most to them."

In an interview with CNN after she was crowned Miss America, Marsh said she felt the win "breaks a lot of stereotypes in pageants and military for women all across the globe."

"I want people to know that you can do both, because I feel like sometimes there's this negative stereotype about women in the military, and I hope that they can see that you can serve beyond your uniform," she said. "That's what I hope to do this year as Miss America and really pouring into my side of pancreatic cancer research and advocacy for my mom."

Marsh dreamed of being a pilot or astronaut since she was young, attending Space Camp when she was 13 to meet professionals in person. Two years later, she started flying lessons with the goal of becoming a cadet, earning her civilian pilot's license at 16. It was then she decided she wanted to apply to the Air Force Academy.

"I heard it was a great institution to not only get a stellar undergraduate education but also put you on the track to become a pilot or maybe an astronaut," Marsh told AFIT. "So that's what sparked my interest to apply to USAFA."

Thirty-nine Air Force Academy graduates have gone on to become astronauts.

Marsh completed her childhood dream of becoming a pilot. She was selected for the flight school pipeline to become a military pilot, but she's still weighing her career options and personal passions in the future.

"Towards the end of my time at USAFA, I started to realize that my bigger passions were in policy-making and cancer research, so that's why I ended up at the Kennedy School," Marsh told AFIT.

"I don't want to be an astronaut anymore, so now I'm here for the people," she added. "I love having the opportunity to not only serve in my uniform but being surrounded by a group of people that also want to serve outside of the uniform through volunteering and community service."

For the talent round of the Miss America pageant, Marsh delivered a passionate monologue recounting her experience of her first solo flight at 16 years old and its impact on her life.

"I'm flying at 3,000 feet, and there's no instructor here to check my speed, altitude, or runway spacing," Marsh said. "I'm 16 years old, and I alone must rely on my training instinct and determination."

"It's been more than six years since that first solo flight, and I'm now an active-duty officer for the United States Air Force," she continued to applause. "Whether I'm seated in the cockpit or standing in my crown, I know the sky is not the limit."