Michelle Kwan Bio

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Michelle Wingshan Kwan (Traditional Chinese: 關穎珊; Simplified Chinese: 关颖珊; pinyin: Guān Yǐngshān; Cantonese IPA: Gwaan Wingsaan; born July 7, 1980) is an American figure skater. She has won nine U.S. championships, five World Championships, and two Olympic medals. She has remained competitive for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history. Known for her consistency and expressive artistry on ice, she is widely considered one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.

Michelle Kwan: Personal life

Born in Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of Danny and Estella Kwan, Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. As a child, Kwan grew up speaking a mixture of Cantonese and English at home. In addition, she also speaks some conversational Mandarin. Kwan's interest in figure skating began at the age of five when she followed her two older siblings (hockey player Ron and figure skater Karen) onto the ice. Karen and Michelle began serious training when Michelle was about eight years old. They practiced three to four hours a day, waking up at 3 am to skate before school and going back to the rink right after school to skate again. Paying for their increased skating-rink time led to financial hardship for Kwan's working class family. When Kwan was ten years old, her family could no longer afford a coach, but they were offered financial assistance by a fellow member of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club that allowed them to train at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California.

Kwan attended Soleado Elementary School in Palos Verdes, California, but left public school to be homeschooled starting at the age of 13. After graduation from Rim of the World High School in 1998, she attended UCLA for one year. In the fall of 2006 she transferred to the University of Denver with the intent of majoring in political science and minoring in international studies. In June 2009, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in international studies and a minor in political science. She has chosen to pursue a graduate degree in international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Michelle Kwan: Public life

Michelle Kwan - Ambassadorship Endeavors

Kwan dined with U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao during President Hu's 2006 state visit to the United States.

On November 9, 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named Michelle Kwan as a public diplomacy ambassador. In this non-salaried position, Kwan will represent American values especially to young people and sports enthusiasts and is expected to travel widely. Kwan made her first overseas trip in the capacity of public diplomacy ambassador with a visit to China from January 17-January 25, 2007.