Military officer Alma Cooper crowned Miss USA

A new Miss USA has been crowned. Miss Michigan Alma Cooper took the crown during the pageant's 73rd annual ceremony, and comes after the resignation of a previous titleholder caused controversy and spawned shakeups at the Miss USA organization.

Miss Kentucky Connor Perry and Miss Oklahoma Danika Christopherson were first and second runners-up, respectively.

"As the daughter of a migrant worker, a proud Afro-Latina woman, and an officer in the United States Army, I am living the American dream," Cooper, 22, said during the Q&A portion of the pageant, according to CNN and Today.com.

Cooper is a US Army officer, data scientist and master's student at Stanford University researching food insecurity.

"I have wanted to walk the Miss USA stage since I was a little itty bitty girl," she told Standford in a video profile posted last week. "I found that my skills ... and having this community and this love and support, it all managed to make me a better candidate."

Cooper's crowning follows a turbulent year for the Miss USA organization, following the resignations of former Miss USA Noelia Voigt and former Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava and the exit of the organization's social media director.

Voigt, who was awarded Miss USA in September 2023, announced her resignation in a statement on Instagram in May. The former title holder wrote, "In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health."

Days later Srivastava, Miss Teen USA 2023, shared a lengthy statement announcing her departure because her "personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization."

2023 Miss USA pageant runner-up, Hawaii's Savannah Gankiewicz, was crowned a week after Voigt's resignation, a move that has also come with controversy.

"To my fellow Miss USA sisters, I believe it's crucial for us to stand united for the future of the organization and the incoming class of 2024 and beyond," Gankiewicz, who held the Miss USA title for three months, said in a social media statement at the time.

Miss Teen runner-up, Miss NY Teen USA Stephanie Skinner, declined her invitation to replace Srivastava. On May 15, their mothers, Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava, claimed in a "Good Morning America" interview that the Miss USA organization mistreated their daughters.

"The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare," Srivastava said, adding, "They were ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered."