FORT SMITH, Ark. — Fort Smith native Madison Marsh was crowned Miss America 2024, and she recently came back for a homecoming.
Her former teachers at Southside High School call her "A force ... Kind, driven, beautiful."
“She tries very hard at everything she does,” said Marsh’s dad, Dr. Michael Marsh.
Marsh is a graduate of Southside High School in Fort Smith, and the Airforce Academy— she's a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force, Harvard grad student, pancreatic cancer advocate, and Miss America 2024.
“I went into the competition not thinking or caring about winning because I wanted to focus on what I could control, which was making friends and memories,” said Marsh.
So when her name was called over and over during finals night of the Miss America competition, Marsh didn’t know what to think.
“I was not prepared or expecting It at all. It was really special getting to have my friends and family in the audience,” said Marsh.
The reason so many friends and family were in the crowd was because Madison’s dad had bought dozens of tickets. “Everyone was high-fiving me, and I was still wondering what had happened,” said Dr. Marsh.
But even with all the excitement the Marsh family could not help but think about the one person who was not there celebrating with them.
“This one’s for you mama,” said Marsh.
Madison’s mom and Dr. Marsh’s wife, Whitney, passed away in 2018, less than a year after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Marsh's mother gave her a ring that she wears every day “because even though she doesn't get to be here with me physically, I'm reminded of her love and her strength, and I can hopefully bring that to people every time I get to share her story,” said Marsh.
Madison started competing in pageants to pour into another outlet and grieve the loss of her mom. Once she started competing, she realized she and pageantry had more in common than she thought.
“It's all about the community service, the leadership, public speaking, education, and those are all things the Air Force loves, that I also love,” said Marsh.
She has used her time competing to create a larger platform for the Whitney Marsh Foundation.
Weeks after her mom’s death, Madison and her family started the non-profit that raises awareness and funds for the fight against pancreatic cancer.
“We wanted to have something that represents Whitney, a memory of her. So we hope our foundation will be contributory to the larger good for awareness of pancreatic cancer,” said Dr. Marsh.
One thing Whitney loved to do was run, even while going through chemo and radiation.
“So we thought racing to honor her would be something she would like,” said Dr. Marsh, creating a race that’s become a staple in the Fort Smith community each year.
“We have people that we've never even met before that have been touched by pancreatic cancer, and now want to come run with us and honor their loved ones, or they just care about cancer care and want to bring that to our town,” said Marsh.
Courtney Beland taught Madison at Southside High School and sat in the audience when she won Miss America.
“We were very calm, knowing her mother was watching over her, and when she pointed up to her mom, that was a wonderful moment. I'll never forget how special it was when she gave that moment to her mother,” said Beland.
Sharing the spotlight in a way that Mrs. Beland said reminds her of Madison’s mom, Whitney.
“She still checks in with people. She wants to make sure everybody’s okay. She’s a caregiver like her mother,” said Beland.
It’s teachers like Beland and Southside history teacher Kristi Waller that Madison credits for a piece of her success.
“I’m glad that I could be in her life for a short time. I'm glad that I got to know her. She made a difference in my life. She still does,” said Waller, who was reminded of why she started teaching 33 years ago.
Though Madison won the title while representing Colorado, home of the Air Force Academy, she’s thankful for the teachers, friends, family, and community of Fort Smith that made her.
“There's nowhere else that's really like this town to me, I just see how invested everyone is and all of our different activities, because there's so much diversity in this town, but everyone is still here to help one another, to engage with all their passions. I think that's just so beautiful. And so I always try to keep that in mind and hopefully bring that to other communities,” said Beland.
As she travels the country as Miss America – there’s one thing she wants to be remembered for.
“Breaking stereotypes," said Marsh. Ask just about anyone who’s met Madison and they’ll tell you she is doing just that.
“In the past, a lot of people thought it was all about beauty because they were called beauty pageants. She's in the military. She's active Air Force. You can do anything you want to do. You can be smart, you can be pretty, you can be an astronaut. You can be a pageant queen. I think she's breaking down those walls and showing people she can do whatever she wants, she's a woman,” said Beland.
If you want to help join the fight against pancreatic cancer you can join the Whitney Marsh Foundation for Whitney’s Race on November 9 at the Bakery District in Fort Smith.
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