Miss USA 2024 has been topped!
Alma Cooper, Miss Michigan, an active-duty officer in the USA Military and a knowledge scientist finding out at Stanford College took residence the title.
Backstage, she informed Fox Information Digital the win felt “surreal,” saying, “I just remember being a little girl and watching that moment over and over every year, for one lucky woman each year, and to know that I was one of those people standing there was already a dream come true. But then to win, I just, I can’t even believe it.”
Throughout the query portion, Cooper recalled, “I just thought about my family and the values I was raised on growing up and how much that meant to me. And all of the time it took to even get to this point, I’m so grateful. I can’t express enough gratitude for this moment, for the people that have uplifted me in times when I’ve been in valleys, and to be this mountain alongside so many other incredible women, this is incredible.”
NORTH CAROLINA CONGRESSMAN, MISS USA TEAM UP TO PROMOTE STEM EDUCATION AT STATE OF THE UNION
Alma Cooper, Miss Michigan USA wins Miss USA 2024 on the 73rd annual Miss USA Pageant at Peacock Theater on August 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Gilbert Flores/Selection through Getty Pictures)
Cooper received by showcasing not solely her bodily magnificence, however excelling at answering the query, “How can we bridge the gap between different cultures and foster understanding and respect?”
Co-hosts Keltie Knight and Garcelle Beauvais requested all of the contestants, together with Cooper, “How can we bridge the gap between different cultures and foster understanding and respect?” (Gilbert Flores/Selection through Getty Pictures)
“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, my personal motto…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,” Cooper informed the viewers and the judges.
WATCH: MISS USA 2024 ALMA COOPER DESCRIBES ANSWER THAT HELPED HER WIN CROWN
Forward of the competitors, co-host Garcelle Beauvias informed Fox Information Digital, “Tonight I’m really excited to be here and be a part of Miss USA 2024. It’s really about these wonderful girls. They’re dynamic, they’re smart, they’re obviously beautiful, but there’s more to it. I think a lot of these girls are showing what they want to do in the future, what they want to leave behind, and I’m here to support. We’re going to have fun. There might be a little drama, you know, but I think it’s going to be really awesome.”
Lu Parker, Miss USA 1994 and journalist, served as one of many judges and revealed what she was in search of within the winner.
“I just thought about my family and the values I was raised on growing up and how much that meant to me.”
“I’m looking for one person who can actually go and now compete on a universal level with women around the world,” Parker stated. “But I’m also looking for someone who’s confident, obviously everyone’s beautiful, and also someone who just has that dynamic shine. It seems like every final night, they just come out, there’s five that are usually just on fire, and that’s the one who’s going to win.”
The crowning of Cooper comes after Savannah Gankiewicz’s comparatively quick tenure as Miss USA 2023.
Alma Cooper, Miss Michigan USA is topped by Savannah Gankiewicz, Miss USA 2023. (Gilbert Flores/Selection through Getty Pictures)
MISS USA SAYS PREVIOUS WINNER WARNED AGAINST TAKING TITLE: ‘YOU’LL SIGN YOUR SOUL TO THE DEVIL’
Gankiewicz took over the title in Might after the unique Miss USA 2023, Noelia Voigt, resigned from her place. Her counterpart within the teen competitors, UmaSofia Srivastava, additionally resigned from her title.
Srivastava was initially extra direct when addressing the explanations behind her determination to surrender her crown. In an announcement she shared on Instagram, Srivastava wrote, “After careful consideration, I’ve decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
Voigt initially cited psychological well being because the trigger for her resignation in a prolonged assertion on Instagram in Might.
Later, her causes have been expanded upon in a letter obtained by ABC Information and different shops, by which she accused the group of fostering a poisonous work tradition and criticized President and CEO of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA organizations Laylah Rose.
Alma Cooper, Miss Michigan USA-Miss USA 2024 with Laylah Rose, CEO and proprietor of Miss Universe. (Gilbert Flores/Selection through Getty Pictures)
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Rose later issued an announcement in response to Voigt’s resignation letter, by which she strongly refuted the sweetness queen’s claims.
On the carpet earlier than the competitors, Rose informed Fox Information Digital, “We always safeguard our delegates, all throughout the United States. All of the directors safeguard their delegates, and we will continue to safeguard our delegates. It’s a job. It’s a job they have to want to do, and the role model they choose to be. So, for us, it’s important choosing the right role model and the right person who’s ready and willing to take on this job.”
Laylah Rose informed Fox Information Digital, “We always safeguard our delegates, all throughout the United States.” (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Pictures)
She continued, “Mental health plays a big part in every aspect of our life, it really truly does. We have challenges that we face in our careers, education, school, relationships, family, friends, and I think when you learn from those challenges, it makes you a stronger person to get through the next chapter of challenges, because they don’t stop. They’re always there. But building that those platforms that these women build and having the resources that we have today are extremely helpful in the journey of whatever they choose to do, and especially their passion projects.”
WATCH: MISS USA CEO LAYLAH ROSE SAYS ORGANIZATION HAS SAFEGUARDS FOR CONTESTANTS
Morgan Romano, Miss USA 2022 and a correspondent through the competitors, stated that whereas her personal experiences have been optimistic, she understood the strain might be overwhelming.
Morgan Romano, far left, with Beauvais, Cooper, Knight and correspondent Patrick Starrr on stage. (Gilbert Flores/Selection through Getty Pictures)
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“Being Miss USA is a really mentally challenging year,” Romano informed Fox Information Digital. “I had a wonderful year, but being in the public eye like that can definitely create mental health issues. You’re always exposed to social media comments and people who feel like they can pick you apart. And it’s not an easy thing to do. So… that’s why I’m really proud of my other Miss USA sisters for setting those boundaries for themselves and really putting their mental health first.”
She added, “I mean, of course, from the public, you always receive social media comments, but I never let them get to me because I remember that those are people coming from a place within themselves, and they’re just projecting that onto me. And it’s no reflection of who I am, and I know who I am, and I’m really proud of who I am. So I didn’t let it get to me.”
Cooper, middle, with the runners-up from Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. (Gilbert Flores/Selection through Getty Pictures)
Miss Teen USA 2024 Addie Carver, who was topped early final week, additionally stated her expertise was optimistic.
“Everyone’s been so kind to me and I think they’re going to make sure that I’m getting well taken care of this year, but honestly, just being in this role itself it’s such a huge role for, not just myself, but for other little girls looking up to me. So, I plan on using that to really make an impact and hopefully inspire other girls to get involved in this program.”
WATCH: MISS USA 2022 PRAISES THE WINNERS WHO STEPPED DOWN FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
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Beauvais additionally supplied recommendation to contestants about being within the public eye.
“You know, we live in a world where people can sit at home and write about however they feel about you, but you can’t listen to the noise,” the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star stated. “You have to remember who you are. And you also have to know sometimes criticism is just that, but you know who you are and keep rocking it.”
