Driving down the compact streets of New York City is a snapshot into a place constantly evolving yet marked with reminders of the past on every corner. Columbia University, an institution older than the United States itself, is one of those places that held onto a piece of the past.
Founded in 1754 as King’s College, the school became the oldest higher learning institution in the state and one of the oldest in the country. But even after decades of renovations and changing curriculum, women continued to be barred from undergraduate study well into the 1980s.
In 1983, after a significant change in the admissions policy, Columbia University opened its classrooms to women. The class of 1987 ended the tradition of only men crossing the graduation stage as the University’s first fully coed class.
Among the women who attended during this monumental time was Jodi Wu Oh. Jodi’s freshman year didn’t just show how the ratio between men and women was unequal but the resources available to women as well. When seeing how men were provided with academic resources, support systems, and social functions, Jodi joined with her friends to become charter members of Theta’s Epsilon Upsilon Chapter. Just like Theta’s founders, Jodi and her friends felt the need for women to come together in a male dominated institution where everyone could feel valued and have opportunities to chase their aspirations.
Today, Jodi’s legacy lives on with someone close to her heart, her daughter, Madison, who is blazing her own trail and showing what true servant leadership looks like. Madison Oh, Epsilon Upsilon/Columbia, is a rising senior and now serves as president of the same chapter her mother helped start. “[My mom] saw a space where women were not being appreciated. They weren't given the same mentorship that men were, and she said, ‘Let's change that,’” Madison said. “I think it's so special: getting to experience what she started.”
Just over a month ago, Madison was given the opportunity of a lifetime by being crowned Miss New York, continuing to lead across the state, beyond just her college campus.
As Miss New York, Madison advocates for Minds Matter, a national nonprofit organization that focuses on preparing students in high school and college for their futures with wraparound services like interview practice, SAT prep, senior portraits, and more.
“I want to leave a legacy where people don't just hear my name and go, ‘Oh, wow she was really kind, I loved her, but she wanted to make an impact. She was driven, and she uses her title for good,’” Madison said. “I don't want to ever leave the community. I'm still going to be with the same woman, still working with Minds Matter, still hoping to leave a legacy with the same community that I've been so privileged to get to know.”
Madison is now preparing to step onto the Miss America stage. She isn’t the first Theta to appear on the Miss America stage, but Madison and her mother’s story of resilience, creating space for others who deserved the same opportunities for scholarship and success, and serving those around them is something remarkable and unique.
“So often I get asked, ‘How do you do it all? How are you spreading your time? What are your priorities?’ But what's wonderful is that I don't have to split my time,” Madison said. “If you bring them all together, then you're just putting 100% towards being Madison rather than being president and then Miss New York separately. It's me [combining] all my worlds.”
Leadership can take many different shapes. For Jodi, it was creating a space and laying the foundation for later generations and for her daughter to thrive. For Madison, it is showing that when you have a passion for serving people, one never has to think small. One can inspire change on their campus, their state, and potentially even throughout the country. When empowered women continue to pour into and empower others, there’s no telling how far one can go.
“Every single person in either Theta or the Miss America Organization would tell you that you're winning by just trying, putting your foot forward, putting your voice out there, and making a difference, even if you don't necessarily know that you're making a difference yet, that's the true growth that you're going to get out of this,” Madison said. “I cannot imagine a better time in my life to be bringing these two organizations together and really trying to just get one more young woman to try one of them out.”
Miss America 2027 will be crowned on Sunday, Sept. 6 in Florida. Tune in to watch Madison take the stage alongside Miss Illinois, Kate Dimmett, Beta/Indiana, and Miss Kansas, Sophie Lewis, Kappa/Kansas.