In this episode, we explore the inspiring life of Alma Cooper, Miss Michigan 2024 and a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army. Alma discusses her transformative experiences at West Point, her unique academic pursuits as a mathematical science major, and her insights on Army standards. She also shares how she balanced her roles in pageantry and the military, her achievements like the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, and her experience at Stanford. Alma's story highlights resilience, dedication, and the importance of mentorship and family support in achieving multifaceted success.
Join us for a truly captivating conversation with the remarkable Alma Cooper, who not only wears the sash as Miss Michigan 2024 but also serves as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army. Alma's journey is one of dedication and legacy, beginning with her mother's nudge towards the Summer Leader Experience at West Point, and culminating in her unwavering commitment to military service, inspired by her father's footsteps.
Alma recalls the transformational 47-month experience that shaped her into the leader she is today, from the emotional R-day to her exceptional academic pursuits as the sole female mathematical science major at West Point. Her passion for data and her honors thesis addressing the Army's height and weight standards showcase a leader not just in uniform, but also in intellect.
Through setbacks and triumphs, Alma shares her story of securing the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship and her acceptance into Stanford's prestigious statistics program, all while maintaining the poise to claim the title of Miss Michigan USA. Her tale is a testament to the power of hard work, authenticity, and the influence of mentorship. This discussion offers a profound look into how resilience and determination can coalesce to shape a life filled with achievement across multiple domains, including pageantry, academics, and service.
--
Key Quote:
“I knew that I have a bigger purpose to serve. I have an incredible opportunity, which is to serve this country and to be a leader for so many people and to learn and grow as much as I can. And I think that wearing that [West Point] ring and to share that moment with, you know, the West Point women that were in that crowd, it meant so much and it still means so much.”
--
(1:09) Alma’s West Point Experience and Leadership Lessons
(10:37) From West Point to Miss Michigan
(23:55) Embracing the Long Gray Line and Alma’s Future
0:00:01.9 Announcer: Welcome to the WPAOG podcast. On this episode, we meet Second Lieutenant Alma Cooper, class of 2023 and Miss Michigan 2024. Discover how she navigated the demanding environment of West Point, excelled as a mathematical science major, gracefully managed the dual roles of military officer and became Miss Michigan 2024. Alma shares her story of leadership, resilience, and the pursuit of excellence across diverse fields. Please enjoy this episode with our host, Jamie Enos.
0:00:42.2 Jamie Enos: Alma Cooper, I can't believe you're on the show today. This is so great to have you, Second Lieutenant in the Army, Miss Michigan 2024. What an honor to have you and to tell your story today, thanks for coming on the AOG podcast.
0:00:57.1 Alma Cooper: Thank you so much. I'm just so grateful for West Point, for Stanford, for the Army, for all the opportunities that have come into my life, all from choosing to come to West Point.
0:01:07.4 Jamie Enos: Your background is just so impressive. So I'm just gonna go way back to little Alma back in high school and tell us how did you even find out about West Point? How did you get to the academy?
0:01:19.2 Alma Cooper: Oh my goodness. My mom actually signed me up for West Point Summer Leader Experience. I had watched my father's career my entire life, he was an armor officer. He commissioned out of OCS. He actually commissioned on May 27th of 1998. And so little did he know that on May 27th of 2023, I would also commission to the United States Army, graduating from West Point. And when I went to West Point Summer Leader experience that summer going into my senior year, I didn't know a whole lot about West Point. I didn't ever see myself wearing the uniform. And so when I stepped on the campus and I saw cohesion and the teamwork, how peers relied on one another to overcome adversity, I knew that West Point was the place for me. And so I didn't apply to any other school. I only applied to one school. I applied to West Point.
0:02:12.3 Jamie Enos: Wow.
0:02:12.5 Alma Cooper: And I'm so grateful that I didn't make a four year decision, I made a life decision by choosing to go to West Point.
0:02:18.2 Jamie Enos: That's risky and I'm impressed. You just went all in and you get what you wanted.
0:02:22.5 Alma Cooper: Yes.
0:02:23.6 Jamie Enos: I mean, talk about...
0:02:24.2 Alma Cooper: There you go.
0:02:25.4 Jamie Enos: We'll talk about that. Your competitive spirit is just so impressive to me. Do you remember your R-Day? Do you remember?
0:02:31.3 Alma Cooper: I do. I remember kind of that you get 60 seconds to say goodbye. And I didn't wanna look my parents in the face 'cause I was a little bit teary eyed. But I think that it meant a lot to me that, to give them that last hug and know that the decision I was making was one that I saw my father make. I wasn't born yet, but I knew that he had made a very similar choice to take the step to become an officer commission. And that I knew that I would be a better young woman and a better leader on the other side for it. I can say that the 16, 17-year-old person who walked in on R-Day would not recognize who I am now, just because of all that I learned in my 47 month experience.
0:03:11.7 Alma Cooper: And I also think that I'm just incredibly grateful for the graduate scholarship program and for the opportunities that I had while at West Point because I'm a Knight-Hennessy Scholar and I'm earning a free education at Stanford in a master's program that I'm incredibly passionate about. So all of these things all stemmed from taking that step, making that last hug and lining up on that line, cupping my hands and not saying anything on R-Day. I mean, it's crazy to think coming from then to now and all that has come from it.
0:03:42.5 Jamie Enos: It's a journey. [chuckle]
0:03:44.2 Alma Cooper: Yes.
0:03:46.6 Jamie Enos: When you were at West Point, you were involved with several things, including you were the manager for the women's volleyball team. What leadership experience and appreciation did that help develop for your peers here?
0:03:57.1 Alma Cooper: I think that being a manager for the women's volleyball team really allowed me to see the true life of a course squad athlete and just all of the respect and appreciation I have for what they do on the court, on the field. But then what they also do in the classroom, what they do in their companies when they go back to the corp cadet, the main, to the barracks. I'm just in awe of all of the different hats that they wear and how gracefully they wear them. And specifically watching the leadership of Coach Alma was incredibly inspiring. Just always hearing how she spoke to the volleyball team, how she encouraged them, how she used her words of wisdom to truly inspire them. Being in that culture and in that environment has only made me more grateful for going through the 47-month experience at West Point and learning all I [0:04:47.1] ____.
0:04:49.3 Jamie Enos: But don't underestimate your impact on the team. Right? Of being a team manager. That's an important role too.
0:04:54.7 Alma Cooper: Yeah.
0:04:55.3 Jamie Enos: So don't underestimate that impact that you also had on everybody else as well.
0:05:00.2 Alma Cooper: Yeah.
0:05:00.9 Jamie Enos: In the academic side, tell us about what you studied here. What was your interest and what did you do, and then you moved into the Knight-Hennessy with the graduate scholarship programs. Let's talk about those academics.
0:05:11.7 Alma Cooper: Yes. So I was a mathematical science major at West Point and I was the only female mathematical science major and I really enjoyed being part of the math department. It was incredibly rewarding. During my senior year or my first year, I, my honors thesis on body mass index and its relationship with the recruiting crisis in the Army. And it was really neat to present at the Math Army Research Symposium, MaRS, in my first year and talked to Army senior leaders about what it looks like in terms of numerics when you look at America and the current body mass index that is prevalent across the country and kind of what the current height and weight standards in the Army prevent individuals who would like to join the Army and what they currently look like and what the standard says. And offering a solution, a potential solution, badge driven solution to that issue.
0:06:07.4 Alma Cooper: Maybe we should widen how we look at the army's height and weight demands in the Army. And then additionally, I was a systems engineering track, or in my program. And that's how I actually met my mentor, Colonel Coxen. She was my first instructor in the systems engineering department. She taught me SE301 and she was my PO300 mentor when I wrote my PO300.
0:06:31.5 Jamie Enos: Okay.
0:06:32.1 Alma Cooper: I think that my academic journey at West Point, I have encountered the most amazing mentors, some of the most amazing professionals that I can look up to and ask questions whether they be academic, military, or completely unrelated, whether or not I should pursue Miss Michigan, what do they think about it? All these questions I've been able to ask mentors that I've encountered during my 47-month experience.
0:06:53.6 Jamie Enos: Colonel Julia Coxen, who is not a grad, interestingly enough, is the department head of systems engineering. But what a great connection to kind of bring it all back together here at the academy. It's pretty cool. And the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship that you have won, you applied for that through the Graduate Scholarship Program, which is a Margin of Excellence funded program here at West Point. How do you decide to do that? How does that come about? And what is that process to compete for that?
0:07:25.3 Alma Cooper: I initially was very nervous to apply for graduate scholarships. I really felt, you know, if I'm gonna put my name in a hat for something that's so competitive and so...
0:07:35.5 Jamie Enos: So like West Point. I'm only gonna apply to West Point. I'm not gonna apply anywhere else. I mean, that's, you kind of had a success rate already, Alma.
[laughter]
0:07:43.4 Alma Cooper: But I was really nervous. So I talked to my mentor, Colonel Coxen. She was like, well Alma, go for it. What do you have to lose? And I was like, okay, sure. I got it. Yes, ma'am. So I applied for the Rhodes Scholarship. I didn't get an interview. I was crushed and I knew that I still had the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship that I hadn't even started the application for yet. And I just thought to myself, am I gonna let this one moment define what I want and to have sent that I had the opportunity to do and just compete for. There's a quote that I love, which is being in the arena, that quote, the man in the arena. That to me is what rang true in that moment. So I said, okay, I'm gonna bite down on my mouth guard. I'm gonna apply to the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship and I'm gonna apply to the statistics program knowing that the statistics department at Stanford is number one in the country.
0:08:40.6 Alma Cooper: And that the odds are against me I felt, but there is something to be said of being in the arena and showing your true self and being authentic in your own. So when I made it to the next round, I was told that I was in the final 500. And I thought that's cool, but it's okay if it doesn't happen after this. And then I made it to the next round and I was invited for an interview and thought I just wanna be in that room and share my story. So when I got my 40-minute interview and had the opportunity, I wanted to share my gratitude. I wanted to share how passionate I was about using data science, data analytics to share the stories of underrepresented minorities in whatever space, whether that be social related or not.
0:09:20.2 Alma Cooper: And when I got that phone call about three days after my 21st birthday from Tina Seelig, the Executive Director of the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship and she told me that I had won, I could only think about telling my parents, and having that moment with them over the phone. And being able to share that all of the sacrifices that they have made throughout their life. And my mother was a migrant worker from the age of six in the beet fields of Idaho. She herself suffered with food insecurity. And then my father was the first officer in our... Commissioning on May 27th of 19... And being able to tell them that after I also commission on May 27th, I'll be able to pursue my Master's in Data Science at the Stanford University. That was an incredible phone call. And so my dad and my mom were in the grocery store and my mom's crying. And my dad's, yeah, you did it.
0:10:08.5 Jamie Enos: Right. Oh, my goodness.
0:10:11.2 Alma Cooper: And I just always go back to just having the most sincere full heart of gratitude. Because all of these opportunities of Knight-Hennessy, Stanford, would not be present in my life if it were not for West Point, the Graduate Scholarship Program, mentors, my peers and all those, that village that really helped me get to this point.
0:10:30.9 Jamie Enos: But it's also the personality. You are just a natural competitor, which is what I just adore that about you, from your story of getting into West Point to Knight-Hennessy to managing the volleyball team, I mean, just, add it in and on. I mean, President of the Elevation Club, which is a club with Colonel Everett Spain, and elevating the voice of cadets that are seeking leadership. Again, looking out for that competition. You were involved with that here at West Point and then you, hey, let's, I don't know, let's just compete for Miss Michigan. That sounds like another thing I should just go out and do. And oh by the way, I'm just gonna crush it and then win it. So what prompted that drive to compete for Miss Michigan and that whole idea?
0:11:19.1 Alma Cooper: Yes. Competing at Miss USA has been a childhood dream of mine since I was a little bitty girl.
0:11:25.7 Jamie Enos: Oh wow. Okay.
0:11:26.3 Alma Cooper: And I have had Miss USA on my vision board for years, and I actually competed in Miss Michigan Teen USA when I was 14 years old. And I was first runner up, and then I competed two additional times in this Michigan Team USA and I was a semifinalist. And it took the top 15 both times. And my final year, after that I was going to West Point and I really wanted to solidify my determination what my true commitment was and is, which is to serve. And to me, I felt I wanted to go through West Point. I wanted to make the best of my 47-month experience. And in that come out on the other side better for it and reevaluate, do I still wanna continue onto this mission to continue to serve and do it just in a different form, which is serving the state of Michigan as Miss Michigan USA.
0:12:20.8 Alma Cooper: And when I saw Second Lieutenant Madi Marsh, who's an Air Force officer won Miss America, and I had friends of mine coming up to me, Alma, that could be you. That should be you. You've had this dream for so long. I was like, okay, time to bite down on my mouth guard and go after this dream of mine that I've had for so long. And it really showed, by competing for Miss Michigan and getting ready to compete on Miss Michigan, it felt very similar to being a cadet. I'd wake up very early. I would go and work out, typically, but before competing, my workouts were in the afternoon, but to manage classes and extracurricular and things like that, I was still...
0:13:00.4 Alma Cooper: I went back to my cadet schedule, I felt like, and I woke up really early, did my workout, went to class, did office hours, ate lunch with my scholarship cohort, went back to class, went to more office hours. You know, it just, it's really neat to see how goals and ambition can really show your intestinal fortitude of how bad you want something or how motivated and driven you are to serving a bigger purpose. And I think that the Miss USA organization has many parallels, or the Miss Universe organization has many parallels with the Army, and how to be a competent army leader. It takes confidence, it takes personal courage with the Army values. And I think that competing on the Miss Michigan USA and now the miss USA stage is another form of personal courage to put yourself out there and to serve a bigger purpose. And for me, I'm using this platform to speak about food insecurity in this Michigan as a little over 11% of Michiganders suffer with food insecurity, and one in seven children in Michigan suffer with food insecurity. So just finding ways to use my education as well as my dedication to service to prevail in different forms whether that's wearing a uniform or wearing the sash and crown as Miss Michigan USA.
0:14:16.0 Jamie Enos: It's really interesting how you have that all woven together too. It's a nice connection that you have there between your mom, talking about your mom's hardships and your studies here at West Point, and then going back to the need there in the state of Michigan as well. So good for you on that. Let's talk about that preparation a little bit, right? Because I think that kind of gets missed sometimes when we talk about, you know, a pageant, let's say, and the competition. But it is, it's a dedicated process, right? It's not just like, Hey, I wake up and I just show up for this talent and this day of doing it, right? You really put in hard work before that to prep for it. So can you just describe what that looks like for some people that may not have any idea what goes on back there?
0:14:57.0 Alma Cooper: Yes, of course. I mean, I think it's learning and fine tuning the way in which I share my story. I think that there's so many different things I could say, I could talk all about West Point, I could talk all about Knight-Hennessy. I could talk about growing up playing three sports and being the captain of my volleyball team growing up. But I think that finding a way to weave in, make sure that seamlessly I can tie in a little bit of every aspect of what it means to be Alma Cooper, that is challenging.
0:15:27.3 Jamie Enos: Sure. Sure.
0:15:28.1 Alma Cooper: And it's a little bit of a lot.
0:15:30.0 Jamie Enos: And it's yourself, right? You're judging yourself and trying to...
0:15:32.5 Alma Cooper: Yes.
0:15:34.6 Jamie Enos: You know, improve yourself. Oh, now I gotta make, you have to look inward. So that's very judgmental.
0:15:37.8 Alma Cooper: Yes. So I think having the humility to really just take a deep dive into my life and what it has been and what I'm still driven to do and what my dreams and aspirations are after my reign as Miss USA or Miss Michigan USA and go on as Miss USA.
0:15:56.9 Jamie Enos: It's okay. We like that foreshadowing a little bit.
0:16:00.5 Alma Cooper: Yeah. There you go.
[chuckle]
0:16:00.6 Jamie Enos: You got a long gray line behind you on that one.
[laughter]
0:16:03.2 Alma Cooper: Yeah. Just finding ways to tell that story, pick out the pieces that I think resonate with me most and that have had the most transformative and deepest impact on my purpose and how I fine tune that purpose and what I've done to act on what that purpose is. And I've truly found that that is to serve in any way, in any shape or form that I can. Again, like I said, whether that'd be in uniform or wearing a crown and sash, there is a true dedication and service that I think has prevailed in what I'm passionate about and how I want to use my education. And I think that being at Stanford is an incredible opportunity that I'm so grateful for. And never in a million years could I dream that I would be studying math at Stanford or studying math at West Point.
0:16:52.9 Jamie Enos: Right.
0:16:53.0 Alma Cooper: I was a math nerd in high school, but I wouldn't say I was always really good at math.
0:16:53.1 Jamie Enos: Right.
0:16:53.4 Alma Cooper: So before making that phone call to tell my parents, "Hey, I'm gonna be a mathematical science major," they were like, oh, we have to get you a tutor in there.
[laughter]
0:17:01.2 Alma Cooper: "Are you sure about that?"
0:17:02.1 Jamie Enos: No, that was a good investment. [laughter]
0:17:06.4 Alma Cooper: But again, I think finding throughout that journey to prepare for Miss Michigan USA, finding ways to share my story when there's many people that will listen as, you know, I could find, and really speaking to the points that truly resonated in my experience to getting to this point and hopefully continuing my service in whatever way.
0:17:25.3 Jamie Enos: All right. Let's get to the, you know, the kind of fun stuff, the questions. All right. You brought up Sash and Crown, so I'm gonna jump right into that because you told me this story before we got online and you told me about your fear of the sash kind of thing. You wanna tell, I think it's a great story. I think you should share that story. You wanna tell everybody about what this like small fear of the sash is? And I think it just blends right into your personality.
0:17:45.5 Alma Cooper: Yes.
0:17:50.0 Jamie Enos: Absolutely, so.
0:17:52.5 Alma Cooper: Yes.
[laughter]
0:17:55.2 Alma Cooper: So the sash, the Miss Michigan USA sash is, as you can see, it has a lot of white fabric. And when I was younger, my mom never really wanted me wearing white or just like colors in general because I was always the kid on the playground that was rolling in the mud, sliding in the grass, and taking kickball a little bit too seriously.
[laughter]
0:18:14.7 Jamie Enos: Trying to win.
0:18:18.0 Alma Cooper: I always ended up with stains and rips and all of the above in my leggings and jeans. So when I was crowned with the Miss Michigan USA sash, I was very careful and maintained being very careful with what I do when I wear it, because I have a tendency of making things kind of messy that are white.
0:18:38.4 Jamie Enos: Right. It's not like the Stanley Cup where you're eating a bowl of cereal left.
[laughter]
0:18:44.9 Jamie Enos: I think I can relate to that though. The whiteness would kind of like, okay, how do I clean this? What happens? And then panicking about it because it's supposed to stay pristine, of course.
0:18:57.4 Alma Cooper: Pristine. Exactly.
0:18:58.0 Jamie Enos: Sure. And when you're a competitor and you wanna get out there with it.
[laughter]
0:19:03.7 Alma Cooper: There you go.
0:19:04.2 Jamie Enos: Yeah. Is there a really cool place or what's kind of something very unique that you've done with it or taken it back to to show off or kind of support others that might have the same vision? What have you...
0:19:17.4 Alma Cooper: Oh, for sure. I mean, I think a special moment I shared is being able to show it to my sister. My sister has special needs and we, it was a little bit of a lot for her to come to the theater and watch it. Just a lot of stimuli. So she had watched the livestream at home and we told her that I was competing and for her to see me on stage and at every kind of cut they make in the top 16, five, and then slowly calling off those names for runners up, she kinda really felt that same angst that I did on stage where you wanna hear your name called at some points, you're waiting to hear your name called at some point. And to show her that crown and sash and for her to view me as like a real life princess. I mean, she's... All of my hats, all of my uniforms are so cool. I remember throwing my hat up in the air at graduation and her taking one of the hats and bringing it back home and wearing it around the house for a week. I mean, she really loves...
0:20:16.9 Jamie Enos: That's amazing.
0:20:17.5 Alma Cooper: Kind of dawning the same hats that I myself wear. So being able to share this moment with her is really special and I'm so excited for her to be at Miss USA.
0:20:26.6 Jamie Enos: I gotta admit, if we were in person, we're doing this remotely, this interview, but if we were in person, I'd be like, hey, can I see... Can I hold it? Can I see it? Can I touch it? Can I hold it? Is it heavy? What's it, you know...
0:20:39.7 Alma Cooper: I would say it is pretty heavy. I have a tendency of sometimes putting it on crooked, so it requires a village of people to make sure that I am not walking around with a trinket, but...
0:20:49.3 Jamie Enos: Just like West Point, right? Uniform check, make sure everything... You've got a little experience of checking everybody before... Doing a check before you leave the room. That's good to know. Your connection with the, you know, one of the photos I saw afterwards, you had a whole group of West Pointers in the crowd cheering you on, which I just think that's amazing. Long Gray Line Was there supporting you of course. And we could talk about that as well, but you wore your ring during the pageant.
0:21:16.1 Alma Cooper: I did.
0:21:16.3 Jamie Enos: Out of all the pieces of jewelry that you were there to show and display, you had your class ring on. Can you tell us a little bit about that decision?
0:21:27.2 Alma Cooper: Yes. Well, on my interview outfit, I actually also had my officer's army uniform button sewed on to my dress. And I had brought my ring, have my ring at Sanford. I brought my ring in my purse to Michigan and I was talking to my mom and I was talking to my pageant coach and I would really think it'd be me if I could wear this through as many parts of the competition as I could. And I put it on with the interview dress and it was kind of just, hey, it looks really nice, it matches, it's gold. And so at that point they really can't say no and the sentimental value that it has, being able to just share that I had that with me. And I feel like it's such a key part of my story that being able to physically have a piece of West Point in my experience with me just meant a lot.
0:22:15.5 Alma Cooper: It meant a lot and it gave me a lot of peace of mind 'cause standing there and being final two people standing on that stage with another incredible young woman, and I kind of, in the video I had said, whatever happens, it's gonna be okay. And I truly meant that because regardless of whether I walked away with this crown or not, I knew that I have a bigger purpose to serve. I have an incredible opportunity, which is to serve this country and to be a leader for so many people and to learn and grow as much as I can. And I think that wearing that ring and to share that moment with the West Point women that were in that crowd, it meant so much and it's telling so much and I'm just, it's really neat to know that I can document that moment with photos and having that ring present is really...
0:23:08.1 Jamie Enos: Yeah. It goes back to that. One of my favorite events that we have here at West Point is the ring melt when we gather other donated rings and melt them down. And then that goes into the legacy gold that then goes into future rings for graduates to wear. And I just feel like that is all part of that moment and you're on stage and all of those other grads and those donated rings are, you've got that gold and that legacy gold of your ring are there with you as well supporting you. And that strength of the Long Gray Line really does matter and it makes a difference. And I feel like you appreciate that and you feel that power behind you too. And that means we're doing a good job, right, at the Association of Graduates to make sure that that legacy keeps going. So you did, you had some West Point women in the crowd cheering you on. How do you stay connected with the Long Gray Line? You're out in Stanford, you're not really, you did commission MI and you'll go on... Or you're branched MI, excuse me, you're branched MI and you'll go on to do that once you finish at Stanford. But how do you stay connected to the Long Gray Line?
0:24:11.6 Alma Cooper: I think that one of the ways that I try my best to stay connected is staying in touch with a lot of the veterans are at Stanford right now, whether it'd be Graduate School of Business and the Business School of Stanford or already within the Knight-Hennessy cohort. And so that has allowed me to not only connect with them, but also tap into their own network of amazing members of the Long Gray Line. Just continue to find ways to meet people and learn from their stories and share in commonalities and compare and contrast our West Point experiences, but then also just be a sponge all that they can share as they prepare me to go on to the next step, which is going to my first unit, going to MI [0:24:56.5] ____. Additionally, I really enjoy going to the West Point Parents Club of Michigan and being in touch with a lot of the parents who have sons and daughters who are currently cadets at West Point and a lot of them are grads. And so one of the, many of the individuals in the crowd who were from the West Point Parents of Michigan, Becka Elford, Paula Thompson, a class of the two. So just incredible women who are, I guess, fans of me, I don't know...
[chuckle]
0:25:26.1 Alma Cooper: I'm feeding to them. I'm like, I'm a fan of you. Why are you... Being able to just talk to them about their experiences, talk to them about what they've experienced being the mother or a father of a cadet, and then being able to share that with my mom. I mean, my mom is a military spouse and, I mean, she's the mother of someone who graduated from West Point and being in the Army and so she's still learning a lot about Army and West Point. And so having her kind of be along my side as we go through this experience together, she has allowed me to connect with many individuals in Long Gray Line, whether it's through her proud West Point parent license plate frame, or...
0:26:08.1 Jamie Enos: She still has that going on, huh? [laughter]
0:26:09.8 Alma Cooper: Yes, she does.
0:26:11.8 Jamie Enos: Now it's just bedazzled to reflect the [laughter], the USA Crown and not be able...
0:26:16.8 Alma Cooper: Or wearing, you know, West Point hoodies or West Point sweatshirt at the grocery store and running into old grads. I mean, she herself has found ways to connect into always the Long Gray Line. So it has been really neat to find ways to connect with others and just learn as much as I can because I think that's what makes the Long Gray Line so unique is that everyone is so helpful, so supportive, and that they want to see the Long Gray Line grow and strengthen and only produce excellence.
0:26:44.3 Jamie Enos: Love to hear the Parents Club reference there and knowing that it's not just the little boxes. Right? There's more to it there and it's a lasting relationship that goes through. That's really fantastic. So you're at Stanford now. Things are going incredibly well, of course, we wouldn't expect anything else for you. How do you set goals and kind of chip away at them and what kind of advice could you give to people out there about that style that you have, being that natural competitor, setting those amazing goals and then just knocking them off one by one that you have shown to us? What tips do you have for the people like me out here that are like, all right, where do I start, how do I get through this?
0:27:27.6 Alma Cooper: Oh goodness. I would say, I think I had the opportunity to write about this when I was preparing for Miss Michigan USA, I wrote in the Scholar Insights Journal for Knight-Hennessy.
0:27:37.1 Jamie Enos: Okay, I'm just gonna say that I had no idea about that. Like, full disclaimer here on the podcast, [laughter] but of course you did. So go on, carry on.
0:27:46.6 Alma Cooper: The title is Why I Wanna be Miss Michigan USA. And I kinda start off by sharing that demanding excellence, pursuit of excellence has been this guiding motto in my life, watching my mother, a migrant worker earn her way to becoming a division one all American as a track and field athlete, watching my father be the first officer in our family after a long lineage of enlisted service members. I am inspired by the two people who have raised me to always demand excellence of myself, even in the face of adversity or uncertainty. And I think that pursuing Miss Michigan USA, pursuing education at Stanford, being a cadet at West Point, all of those have the intersection of demanding excellence of yourself and hoping to achieve a standard of excellence in any arena that I find myself in. I think that being a title holder and being an officer in the United States Army, there are parallels.
0:28:42.1 Alma Cooper: I wanna be competent, humble, and always willing to learn and grow. And I think that having these roles have shown me that demanding excellence and pursuing excellence in your life every day, regardless of what you're wearing or what your uniform is or what hat you're donning can show itself up in many ways. But again, character can speak so true in that demand of excellence. So I truly, again, rely a lot of that on, or rest a lot of that on the foundation that I've grown upon, which is my parents and how they've shown and inspired me to be on that pursuit and have a level head and maintain, be grounded in where I've come from and the stories that have come before me.
0:29:24.6 Alma Cooper: I mean, even my name, my full name is Alma Oralia Minerva Cooper. Alma means soul in Spanish. Oralia is my mom's name, and Minerva is my mom's mom's name. Alma was the name of my dad's mom. And I actually have her ashes in a necklace that I wear. And so I have a soul of all the women in my family, and Cooper being my last name it's what makes my father and I's army service uniforms identity. So I can truly say that having the soul of the men, women in my family has inspired me and propelled me to continue to demand excellence and demand more of my character regardless of what that is.
0:30:02.1 Jamie Enos: Well, I'm fired up. I mean, I don't know how you can listen to that and not be, to tell you honestly. What is next on your checklist? What are you chasing now?
0:30:14.3 Alma Cooper: Oh goodness. I would just say that post Stanford, after I graduate with my Master's in data science at Stanford, I wanna be the best officer that I can be, in every role that is, whatever job that looks like. I think that I came into West Point bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, just hungry for a challenge. And I knew that I was gonna be challenged by West Point. I knew that I was gonna be challenged coming to Stanford. I knew that I'm, I know I'm gonna be challenged as an officer, but I think that all of these personal experiences that I've encountered throughout my life so far have just shown me that I truly am dedicated to serve something bigger than myself and that I'm humble and eager to learn from those around me to be the best officer that I can be. So I don't know what my life looks like five, 10, 15 years from now, but I know that I'm going to continue to be my excellence for myself and just be the best leader, officer and young motivator I can be and with a grateful heart.
0:31:12.3 Jamie Enos: Alma, you are the complete package. You've got brains, you've got confidence, you've got determination and competitive drive and spirit. I know you're just gonna take over the world one day and we are going to have another podcast with you on it, following up on all of those accomplishments. The Long Gray Line is behind you, supporting you, cheering you on. We wish you the best as you compete in the next round for, let me make sure I get it right, but it's just Miss USA, is that the right...
0:31:42.1 Alma Cooper: Yes, Miss USA.
0:31:43.1 Jamie Enos: So we wish you all the best as you compete for Miss USA, absolutely we will be rooting for you and we look forward to the follow up where we can get the next phase of this story. So thanks for coming on today, Alma.
0:31:56.6 Alma Cooper: There you go. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
0:31:58.3 Jamie Enos: Yeah, go Army, beat everyone else at Miss USA and we look forward to having you back on.
0:32:03.6 Alma Cooper: Yes, ma'am. Thank you so much. I'm so appreciative.
[music]
0:32:08.1 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the WPAOG Broadcast Network. Please take a moment to rate and review the show and join us each week for a new episode. Thank you for listening.