2nd Lt. Alma Cooper, the winner of Miss USA 2024 and a 2023 graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, views her platform as a way to use her leadership skills to serve others and highlight the opportunities that the U.S. Army has to offer.
Cooper told American Military News that she believes her experience with the military and her experience winning Miss USA do not have to be “mutually exclusive” and that both are ways of serving.
“As Miss USA, I’ve had the ability to use my platform to talk about food insecurity and why it’s so important to give people access to healthy, nutritious foods,” she said. “I’ve also been able to bring attention to recruiting and to share all the opportunities that are present in the Army.”
Cooper noted that she has been able to use her experience from West Point and her experience as a “leader of character” as a foundation of leadership in both the military and Miss USA.
Cooper explained that she decided she wanted to attend West Point during her junior or senior year in high school after her mom signed her up for a summer camp at West Point.
“So she showed me this letter and she said, you know, you’ve been accepted in this camp, but it’s up to you if you want to go. I watched a couple of YouTube videos and I was like, yeah, I’ll give it a chance. And she was like, ‘Great, because I already paid the fee,'” Cooper laughed. “I got the opportunity to go to West Point for about four days as a part of the ‘summer leaders’ experience there.”
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Following her experience at West Point’s summer camp, Cooper told her parents that she “loved it and didn’t want to go anywhere else.” Cooper told American Military News that it was not merely a four-year decision but a “life decision” that would allow her to “continue to grow and progress as a leader” and to ultimately serve others.
After graduating from West Point in the top five percent of her class in 2023, Cooper said she received a scholarship to attend Stanford University.
Reflecting on her success at West Point and as the winner of Miss USA, Cooper said, “The only limits you face are the ones that you accept. My biggest note to young people, and specifically young women, is to truly embody that in whatever aspirations they have.”
Cooper told American Military News that it has been “deeply humbling” to have the opportunity to show people the opportunities the Army has given her.
She added, “I hope that people continue to be able to see all of what is possible through the military.”
As a cadet, Cooper said she experienced the Army-Navy Game all four years and described it as “an incredible experience.
“But now to experience the Army Navy game and the incredible rivalry that it is not as a cadet, is super, super cool because for me, I’ve been able to see a lot of the behind the scenes aspect and also just get to interact with the community and everyone that surrounds this game,” the 2nd lieutenant added.
Pointing to her excitement for this year’s Army-Navy Game, Cooper said, “This is the game. It’s the 125th year, so it’s incredibly special to be here. I’m really just looking forward to the game and, hopefully, an Army win.”
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