Latinas have been making history in the pageant world in recent years and it’s happened once again for Miss USA. Afro-Latina Alma Cooper from Okemos, Michigan was crowned as the 2024 Miss USA pageant winner this past Sunday, August 4 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Her win marks the first time Miss Michigan has won the title since 2010. Born to a migrant worker and army officer, Cooper beat out 50 other contestants amid a controversial year for pageants. Just this year, Venezuelan-American Noelia Voigt, Miss USA 2023, resigned on May 6 citing mental health reasons with Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, following suit just two days after stating that her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.” Cooper is now set to compete in the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico this November representing the U.S.
The newly crowned 22-year-old, a U.S. Army officer, serves as a second lieutenant and military intelligence officer. A West Point graduate—in the top 5 percent of her class— and Knight-Hennessy scholar, she is currently working toward her master’s degree in data science at the prestigious Stanford University. Her military background isn’t the only thing that she is passionate about, her advocacy in addressing food insecurity has led to her work for the nonprofit Feeding America.
The night did not end without Cooper honoring her Afro-Latina roots and her family. She wowed the judges with her answer to the final question: How can we bridge the gap between different cultures and foster understanding and respect?
“As the daughter of a migrant worker, a proud Afro-Latina woman, and an officer in the United States Army, I am living the American Dream. If there is anything that my life and my mother have taught me, it’s that your circumstances never define your destiny, that you can make success accessible through demanding excellence…success is accessible and through chasing your dreams, you can break down barriers and make the launch pad for where you’re going to go.”
Her life motto is “Demand Excellence”, according to her Miss USA biography. A motto inspired by her parents who have paved the way for her to achieve a part of the American Dream.
Cooper shared with E! News her hopes for the title and what her win means to her: “The Miss USA stage is a place where not only people of diverse and beautiful backgrounds deserve to be there, but they belong there. What I want to do with this title is be a part of something bigger than myself, which is uplifting the voices of underrepresented and vulnerable communities and being a force for good within this country and the world.”
