“I can’t even put into words this surreal feeling,” Cooper shared withBusiness Insider after winning the crown in Los Angeles. “I have so muchgratitudetoward the shoulders that I stand upon and all thepeoplewho have supported me to get to this point.”
A Lifelong Dream Fulfilled
Cooper, a second lieutenant and military intelligence officer in the US Army, has always had a passion for pageantry. Growing up, pageants were like the Super Bowl in her household.
Her mother, who once competed in state pageants herself, instilled in Cooper a love for the stage. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Cooper took a job at Auntie Anne’s to pay for her pageant fees, determined to compete in Miss MichiganTeen USA.
Though she didn’t winon her first attempt, Cooper’s perseverance paid off when she placed first runner-up in 2017. That experience, along with the support of her mother, fueled her dream of one day walking the Miss USA stage.
“This really all started from watching athomeand being inspired by otherwomenwho have walked that same stage,” Cooper reflected. “It’s amomentthat I trulywillnever forget.”
Cooper carried her pageant dreams with her through her time at the US Military Academy at West Point.
There, she became the only female mathematical science major in her class and graduated in the top 5%. She is now a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at StanfordUniversity, pursuing a master’s in data science.
“Being at West Point built my character,” Cooper said. “It’s the premierleadershipinstitutionin the world, where everysingleperson is committed to acultureofexcellence, to being part of something bigger than themselves.”
Her military experience, she believes, has been instrumental in her success in pageantry. Cooper sees a strong connection between the discipline required in both fields.
“Being able to be intrinsically motivated, to have personalcourage, is one of the Armyvalues,” she noted. “And to get onstage in front of millions of people, anationally televisedaudience, and wear a swimsuit — that, in and of itself, is one way to display personal courage and believe in oneself.”
Cooper’s journey is deeply rooted in her family’s experiences. Her undergraduate thesis, published in Military Medicine, explores the relationship between body mass index and the US Army’s recruitment crisis, a topic inspired by her mother’s struggles with poverty and food insecurity after emigrating to the US as a child.
As Miss USA, Cooper hopes to be a “force for good,” using her platform to uplift voices that are often unheard.
“This is not about me,” she said. “This is aboutupliftingthe voices of individuals whosestoriesmay not be heard, whose stories may not be shown. I know this is bigger than myself.”
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