Michelle Kwan
Professional Figure Skater, Athlete
Early Life:
Michelle Kwan was born on July 7th, 1980 in Torrance, California. Before she was born, her parents, Danny and Estella, moved to the United States from China in the 1970's. Kwan is the youngest of three siblings and her older sister, Karen, is a figure skater as well. Kwan began skating at the age of five after watching her older brother, Ron, play hockey. She began to skate competetively at the age of seven and by the age of eleven, Kwan and her sister moved to Lake Arrowhead, California to train more seriously. At the age of tweleve, she competed in her first nations and won the silver at the age of thirteen and fourteen. Kwan continued on to win nationals at the age of fifteen and also the worlds later on that year.
Biography
Skating Career:
Michelle Kwan has earned a number of awards and outstanding achievements through out her skating career. Kwan was known for her unique sense of style on the ice and her fierce attitude she brought to all of her skating competitions.
(See Achievements link for more information about her skating career)
Life After The Olympics:
After the 2006 Olympics, Michelle Kwan began to focus on her education by enrolling in the University of Denver to complete her undergraduate degree. In 2009, Kwan attended Tufts University to complete a law and diplomacy master's degree program. When she officially earned her degree, she pursued a career in diplomacy. Although she did not officially retire from skating, she now works in the U.S. state department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. In 2012, Kwan got engaged to Clay Pell, a White House national security expert and got married the following January in Providence, Rhode Island.
