Miss Michigan Alma Cooper ’23 was named the winner of the 73rd Miss USA pageant, which was held at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on August 4. Cooper, 22, is a second lieutenant and military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army.
Cooper graduated in the top five percent of her class from The U.S. Military Academy at West Point and is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University, where she’s pursuing a master’s in data science.
Before taking the crown, Cooper competed in the evening gown, swimsuit, and interview rounds. The top five contestants all had to answer the same 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 of the United States Army, I’m living the American dream,” Cooper responded. “If there’s anything that my life and my mother have taught me, it’s that your circumstances never define your destiny.”
Hear more of Alma Cooper’s story on her episode of the WPAOG podcast.
