After several months of turmoil and controversy, Miss Michigan Alma Cooper was announced the winner of Miss USA on August 4, as per a report in the New York Post. Ms Cooper, a US Army officer became the third person to hold the title this year after the resignation of 2023’s pageant winner.
“As the daughter of a migrant worker, a proud Afro Latina woman and an officer of the United States Army, I am living the American dream,” she told judges during a question and answer round at the finale.
She added, “If there’s anything that my life and my mother have taught me, it’s that your circumstances never define your destiny: You can make success accessible through demanding excellence.”
With a master’s degree in data science from Stanford University, the 22-year-old defeated 50 other competitors in a pageant that featured swimsuit and evening gown rounds. Connor Perry of Kentucky and Danika Christopherson of Oklahoma were ranked first and second runner-ups. Based on her social media accounts, Ms Cooper is a military intelligence officer who serves as a second lieutenant.
Ms Cooper was crowned live by Miss USA 2023, Hawaii’s Savannah Gankiewicz, who inherited the tiara in May following Utah’s Noelia Voigt’s contentious resignation.
“While this decision was not made lightly, I firmly believe that this opportunity was meant for me and I am ready to make a positive impact with this organization that I hold dear to my heart,” the 28-year-old was quoted as saying by CNN in May. She was crowned by the governor of Hawaii Josh Green at a ceremony in Honolulu.
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