'I Want To Change Things': Miss USA 2024 Michigan Alma Cooper Reveals Her Interest In Food Insecurity Was Inspired By Her Mother

Alma Cooper who recently won Miss USA 2024, will now represent the United States in the upcoming Miss Universe Pageant in November.

By Marita Pinto

Published on Aug 06, 2024 | 05:40 PM IST | 61.1K

Image Courtesy: Instagram/ Alma Cooper

Miss Michigan Alma Cooper won the Miss USA 2024 at the 73rd Miss USA pageant held on Sunday, August 4, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Michigan won the title after beating Miss Oklahoma's Danika Christopherson and Miss Kentucky Connor Perry.

The recently crowned Miss USA 2024 who is researching food insecurity, health, and nutrition in the field was inspired by her mother's previous food insecurity.

Cooper, 22, is a 2023 West Point graduate who is presently a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University where she is studying for a master's degree in statistics. She plans to concentrate her research on food insecurity because it is a subject that she is personally interested in.

Cooper revealed that her mother Oralia had experienced food insecurity in the past after her victory. "I am aware that one in five children in this nation experience food insecurity, so she is not alone in this. I want to change things, and that's what really inspired me to work in the fields of nutrition, health, and food insecurity," she told PEOPLE.

Cooper was born in the US to her mother Oralia who is a migrant farm worker who immigrated to the United States at the age of six, and her retired Army major father Stacey Cooper, who served 24 years in the service. After completing her undergraduate studies at Idaho State University, Oralia went on to Saginaw Valley State University to obtain a master's degree in educational administration.

Oralia is employed as a school administrator currently. Cooper continued, saying that her life was defined by her upbringing as a nerd and her time as an officer in the U.S. Army.

This year's Miss USA pageant was held amid controversy and resignations from prior title holders. former Miss USA 2023, Noelia Voigt, and the former Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, submitted their resignations.

On May 7, Voigt made history by becoming the first Venezuelan-American woman to win the title, as shared on Instagram. She cited a toxic work environment at the company and decided to resign due to mental health concerns.

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