Alma Cooper

{{Infobox pageant titleholder

| name=Alma Cooper

| image=File:Miss USA, Army Lt. Cooper Visits Fort Hamilton (1).jpg

| caption=Cooper in 2024

| birth_name=Alma Oralia Minerva Cooper

| birth_date ={{birth date and age|2002|3|17|mf=yes}}

| title={{ubl|Miss Michigan USA 2024|Miss USA 2024}}

| nationalcompetition={{ubl|Miss Michigan USA 2024|(Winner)|Miss USA 2024|(Winner)|(Best in Interview)|Miss Universe 2024|(Unplaced)}}

| education = {{ubl|United States Military Academy (BS)|Stanford University}}

| height = 5 ft 9 in{{cite web|url=https://www.wkar.org/current-sports-on-am870/2019-04-22/okemos-high-school-star-alma-cooper-more-than-an-athlete|title=Okemos High School Star Alma Cooper More Than An Athlete|last=Hyams|first=Rachel|date=April 22, 2019|work=WKAR-FM}}

| eye_color=

| hair_color=

| module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes

| allegiance = {{Flag|United States}}

| branch = {{Flag|United States Army}}

| rank = 8px First lieutenant

| serviceyears = Since 2023

}}

Alma Oralia Minerva Cooper (born March 17, 2002) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe USA 2024. Cooper represented the United States at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant. Cooper was previously crowned Miss Michigan USA 2024 and is the fourth woman from Michigan to be crowned Miss USA.

Early life and education

Alma Oralia Minerva Cooper{{cite web|url=https://www.michiganpublic.org/podcast/stateside/2024-08-05/stateside-podcast-meet-miss-michigan-usa-2024|title=Stateside Podcast: Meet Miss Michigan USA 2024|date=May 30, 2024|work=Michigan Public|last1=Ishikawa|first1=Rachel|last2=Mejia|first2=Mercedes}} was born March 17, 2002 in Okemos, Michigan to parents Stacey and Oralia Cooper, and describes herself as a "lifelong Michigander".{{cite web|url=https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/people/alma-cooper|title=Alma Cooper|accessdate=August 5, 2024|publisher=Stanford University}} Her father is African-American and a retired major in the United States Army, while her mother is a former pageant contestant and migrant worker from Mexico who came to the United States at age six.{{cite news|url=https://www.wlns.com/news/miss-okemos-wins-miss-michigan-usa/|title=Miss Okemos wins Miss Michigan USA|date=April 29, 2024|last=Ramsey|first=Rachel|work=WLNS}}{{cite web|url=https://thedeparturefilm.com/miss-usa-alma-cooper-is-of-afro-latina-descent-as-she-was-born-to-a-mother-oralia-cooper-and-father-stacey-cooper/|title=Miss USA Alma Cooper Is Of Afro-Latina Descent As She Was Born To A Mother Oralia Cooper, And Father Stacey Cooper|last=Maharjan|first=Rohit|date=August 5, 2024|work=The Departure}}{{cite web|url=https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/news/why-i-want-be-miss-michigan|title=Why I want to be Miss Michigan|last=Cooper|first=Alma|date=April 17, 2024|publisher=Knight-Hennessy Scholars}}{{cite web|url=https://themomsmagazine.com/alma-cooper-parents-stacey-and-oralia-cooper-supporter/|title=Alma Cooper said her parents, Stacey and Oralia Cooper, are her biggest supporter, stating, 'They have never given up on me'|date=August 5, 2024|last=Uprety|first=Anuja|work=The Mom's Magazine}} Cooper also has an elder sister who is cognitively impaired.

Having skipped the third grade, Cooper graduated one year early from Okemos High School in 2019, where she was the captain of her varsity volleyball team and also played basketball and ran track. After graduating, she moved to West Point, New York to enroll in the United States Military Academy (USMA).{{cite web|url=https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2024/04/24/miss-michigan-pageants-okemos-grad-alma-cooper/73436379007/|title=Okemos grad Alma Cooper crowned Miss Michigan, hopes to uplift 'girls of color'|date=April 24, 2024|work=Lansing State Journal|last=Atwood|first=Sarah}} Cooper studied mathematical science at the USMA, and graduated in 2023. Following her graduation, Cooper was accepted as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University, studying for a Master of Science degree in statistics on the data science track. She was also part of the cheerleading program at Stanford. Prior to becoming Miss USA, Cooper planned to serve as a second lieutenant in the Military Intelligence Corps of the United States Army after completing her degree at Stanford.

Pageantry

Prior to winning Miss Michigan USA, Cooper was first runner-up at Miss Michigan Teen USA.{{cite web|url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/04/25/miss-michigan-solider-math-west-point-cooper-okemos/73436496007/|title=Miss Michigan USA 2024, Alma Cooper, is also a soldier and mathematician|date=April 25, 2024|work=Detroit Free Press|last=Witsil|first=Frank}} Following her teenage pageant career, Cooper worked as a professional model throughout the Midwestern United States. Cooper later competed in and won Miss Michigan USA 2024 as Miss Okemos in April 2024. Cooper was cited by the West Point Association of Graduates as the first active-duty officer in the United States Army to compete for the Miss Michigan USA title.{{cite web|url=https://www.westpointaog.org/news/cooper-23-named-miss-michigan-will-compete-in-miss-usa/|title=Cooper '23 Named Miss Michigan, Will Compete in Miss USA|date=April 23, 2024|publisher=West Point Association of Graduates}} As Miss Michigan USA, Cooper was qualified to represent the state at the Miss USA 2024 pageant.

Cooper entered and won Miss USA on August 4, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles,{{cite web|url=https://people.com/miss-michigan-alma-cooper-wins-miss-usa-2024-8689750|title=Miss Michigan Alma Cooper Wins Miss USA 2024 Months After Shocking Resignations|date=August 4, 2024|last1=Sobhan|first1=Athena|last2=Rice|first2=Nicholas|work=People}}{{cite Instagram|title= We're coming home.... to Hollywood!|user=missusa|date=February 10, 2024|access-date=February 10, 2024|postid= C3L9zkNrWta|language=en}} against 50 other contestants.{{cite web |last1=Brockington |first1=Ariana |last2=Nicolaou |first2=Elena |title=Who won the Miss USA 2024 pageant? All about Alma Cooper of Michigan |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/miss-usa-2024-winner-alma-cooper-michigan-rcna164797 |website=Today |date=August 5, 2024 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/04/style/miss-usa-winner-alma-cooper-michigan/index.html|title=New Miss USA crowned, capping tumultuous year of pageant controversy|publisher=CNN.com|language=EN|date=August 4, 2024|access-date=August 4, 2024}} As Miss USA 2024, Cooper represented the United States of America at Miss Universe 2024, but was unplaced, thus ending its 13-year streak of placements.{{cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/miss-michigan-alma-cooperarmy-officer-and-stanford-studentwins-miss-usa|title=Miss Michigan Wins Miss USA—A Job Last Year's Winner Didn't Even Want|date=August 4, 2024|last=Rees|first=Alex|work=The Daily Beast}}