MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs #491: Alma Cooper

Alma Oralia Minerva Cooper (born March 17, 2002, in Okemos, Michigan) is a distinguished American soldier, scholar, and beauty queen whose career spans the intersecting worlds of military service, mathematics, and public representation. The daughter of a retired U.S. Army major and a Mexican immigrant mother who once competed in pageants herself, Cooper identifies as African American Latina and embodies the values of discipline, intellect, and cultural pride. Graduating a year early from Okemos High School in 2019, she was accepted into the United States Military Academy at West Point, where she majored in mathematical science and graduated in 2023. Upon commissioning as a U.S. Army officer, she pursued graduate study at Stanford University as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, working toward a master's degree in statistics with a data-science concentration while preparing for a future assignment within the Military Intelligence Corps.

Beyond her academic and military pursuits, Cooper achieved national recognition in 2024 when she was crowned Miss Michigan USA, later winning the title of Miss USA 2024. Her victory was historic: she became one of the first active-duty Army officers ever to hold the Miss USA crown, symbolizing the modern convergence of service, scholarship, and social advocacy. Throughout her reign, Cooper has used her platform to promote STEM education, leadership development, and cross-cultural understanding, positioning herself as a new generation role model who bridges the worlds of defense, data, and diplomacy with grace and purpose.