Michelle Kwan

Her father was a native of Canton and emigrated from Hong Kong to California in 1971.

Kwan grew up speaking both Cantonese and English at home.

Kwan's interest in figure skating began at the age of five when she followed her two older siblings (ice 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 4:30am and arriving at the rink at 5:00am to skate before school, and then 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.

Michelle Wingshan Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is a retired competitive figure skater and diplomat serving as United States Ambassador to Belize.

Kwan attended Soleado Elementary School in Palos Verdes, California, but left public school to be homeschooled in 1994, when she was in the 8th grade.

Kwan won five World Championships (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003), tying her with Carol Heiss (1956–1960) for the most world titles by an American.

Kwan's nine world medals overall is the all-time record for an American skater in any discipline.

The only ladies' singles skater with more world titles or medals is Sonia Henie of Norway.

Kwan won nine U.S. Championships (1996, 1998–2005), tying the record for most wins set by Maribel Vinson-Owen (1928–1933, 1935–1937).

She holds the record for the most consecutive U.S. titles (eight) and most consecutive U.S. Championship medals (twelve).

From 1997 to 2005, she was the U.S. Figure Skating Association's top-paid skater in appearance fees and prize money, as well as one of the highest paid Winter Olympic athletes in endorsements.

Kwan was also the highest-paid skater on the Champions on Ice tours.

Following her figure skating career, Kwan became active in politics, particularly with the Democratic Party.

In January 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Kwan to be U.S. Ambassador to Belize.

She was confirmed by the Senate on September 29, 2022, took the oath of office on October 22, and presented her credentials on December 5.

Born in Torrance, California, Kwan was the third child of Danny Kwan and Estella Kwan, Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong.

In figure skating Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist (silver in 1998, bronze in 2002), a five-time World champion (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003) and a nine-time U.S. champion (1996, 1998–2005).

She is tied with Maribel Vinson for the all-time National Championship record.

She competed at the senior level 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.

For well over a decade, Kwan maintained her status not only as America's most popular figure skater but as one of America's most popular female athletes.

Kwan landed numerous major endorsement deals, starred in multiple TV specials and was the subject of extensive media coverage.

After graduation from Rim of the World High School in 1998, Kwan attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for one year.

She also earned the silver medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and the bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

In the fall of 2006, she transferred to the University of Denver (DU).

Kwan mentioned that her attendance at DU marked a significant "turning point" in her life.

She made the shift from having tutors since 7th grade and being a full-time skater to becoming a full-time student.

During her initial weeks at DU, she had to use crutches due to hip surgery.

Shortly after her arrival at DU, Kwan engaged in an international studies internship.

Condoleezza Rice, the former Secretary of State, appointed Kwan as the inaugural American Public Diplomacy Envoy.

Her role was to foster a better understanding of America by sharing her personal story through cross-cultural dialogues with international students.

Kwan mentioned the challenges of balancing travel and school, recounting instances when she had to take exams on campus shortly after returning from a 15-hour flight.

She applied the knowledge gained in her classroom to her international endeavors.

In June 2009, she graduated from Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies with a bachelor's degree in international studies and a minor in political science.

In 2009, she began graduate studies in international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and graduated in 2011.

On May 8, 2010, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Southern Vermont College.