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A notable guest will be making an appearance next week at Dayton's First Four games. She comes not only as a fan, but as an active-duty service member looking to connect with local airmen.
Miss America 2024 will visit Dayton March 18 and 19 to meet with airmen and guardians, speak to STEM students, and attend the NCAA Men's Basketball First Four games at UD Arena.
Second Lt. Madison Marsh is the first active-duty service member to win the title of Miss America. Marsh graduated from the Air Force Academy with a degree in physics and is earning her master of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School through the Air Force Institute of Technology's Civilian Institution Programs.
On Tuesday, March 19, Marsh will attend a breakfast with airmen and guardians at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
Tuesday night, she will join fans at UD Arena for the NCAA Men's Basketball First Four games. Half-time of the first NCAA game will feature the 12 student finalists from The Big Hoopla STEM Challenge, and Marsh will be on court with the students where they will take their final hot shots. The Hoopla STEM Challenge seeks to engage the future scientists of the Dayton region in a one-of-a-kind, hands-on experience. Students from kindergarten to eighth grade can explore learning stations and talk with STEM professionals about how science, technology, engineering and math fuel everything from how they shoot a basket on the court to the cutting-edge research performed by the Air Force.
Marsh is one of many influential people that have flocked to the Dayton region over the years to attend the First Four games. In 2012, former President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron watched a game in UD Arena's courtside seats. Then, 2022 marked the first-ever attendance at the same time by the Governor of Ohio, Lt. Gov. of Ohio, Gen. CG Brown of the US Air Force, Gen. Bunch, and several more leaders celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Air Force.
Each year, The Big Hoopla provides tickets to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base airmen, local students and their families, and area veterans through the Hoopla Ticket Program. Since 2012, more than 125,000 tickets will have been distributed. The NCAA First Four Game's halftime entertainment includes honoring STEM students and featuring a swearing in ceremony for newly enlisted USAF airmen.