Alma Cooper is moving forward.
The 2024 Miss USA winner revealed hours before the beauty pageant event kicks off on Oct. 24 that she will not be attending the final selection or coronation ceremony for the 2025 pageant.
“After much consideration, I have made the very difficult decision not to attend this year’s Miss USA pageant and coronation ceremony,” Cooper wrote on Instagram, sharing several photos of herself wearing the winner’s sash. “As I close this chapter, I leave it with the crown of honor knowing that I have faithfully completed what I started, and with a high sense of self-worth.”
The 23-year-old explained that she had thought a lot about her decision to skip the final, where the previous year’s winner usually hands over the crown to the new pageant queen.
“I always strive for excellence in all aspects of life,” she said in the post. “That relentless pursuit enabled me to graduate from West Point in the top 50 of my class, run three marathons in 10 months, and become a Knight-Hennessy Fellow at Stanford University.”
And the former Miss Michigan, who won the Miss USA title just months after defending champion Noelia Vogt vacated the title and became the first in Miss USA’s 73-year history, said her work ethic was the secret to winning the title.
