(Image source: US Army)
You might call Alma Cooper an overachiever, but it's just life for her. Cooper graduated from West Point in the spring of 2023, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S Army. Her father delivered her oath of office 24 years after he took the same oath. Cooper is now working on her master's degree in data science at Stanford University. Any parent would be proud of such accomplishments in a 22-year-old daughter. But that's just the beginning for Alma Cooper.
Cooper was crowned Miss USA two months ago. She is the first active duty service member to win the pageant, and the first Afro-Latina winner. Cooper will represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant November 16th in Mexico City. Along with her military career and her studies, oh yeah, she's a model, too, that should be enough to keep Cooper busy, don't you think? So why is she being profiled in Runner's World magazine?
Nearly two months after being crowned Miss USA, Alma Cooper is ready to compete in the Chicago Marathon. https://t.co/xUIDry5Ius
— Scripps News (@scrippsnews) October 11, 2024
Because she's also a marathon runner. Cooper is running in the Chicago Marathon this Sunday, October 13th, to raise funds and awareness for Apna Ghar, an organization fighting against gender-based violence. Cooper ran track in high school (where she was also the captain of the volleyball and basketball teams), and her mother once coached high school cross-country. In the military, Cooper has been running half-marathons. Read more about Cooper and her marathon aspirations at Runner's World. -via Metafilter