MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs #491: Alma Cooper

MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs #491: Alma Cooper

From MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs by Kirt Jacobs

February 9, 2026 · 2 min · Season 1 · Episode 491

About this episode

Alma Cooper discusses her journey as a soldier, scholar, and beauty queen, highlighting her achievements and advocacy in STEM and cultural representation.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Kirt Jacobs

Guest: Alma Oralia Minerva Cooper

Topics covered

  • military service
  • STEM education
  • leadership development
  • cultural pride
  • beauty pageants
  • public representation

Keywords

  • Alma Cooper
  • Miss USA
  • military officer
  • STEM
  • leadership
  • cultural pride
  • West Point
  • Stanford
  • beauty queen

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United States Military Academy, Stanford University, Miss Michigan USA, Miss USA

Places: Okemos, Michigan

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