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Michelle Kwan
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Michelle Kwan is born!
Birth
Michelle is the third child of Danny and Estella Kwan. As a child she grew up speaking a mixture of Cantonese and English at home. Her full name is Michelle Wingshan Kwan. -
Father Danny Kwan
Significant Person
Michelle’s father Danny has been there for Michelle since the very beginning. He would sometimes act as her coach and help her train when they couldn’t afford lessons. -
Brother Ron
Significant Person
When Michelle was three, her brother Ron, oldest of the three, inspired Michelle and her sister Karen to start figure skating by coming to one of Ron’s ice hockey practices. -
Earthquake in Santiago and Valparaiso
World History Event
An 8.0 on the Richter magnitude scale earthquake hit Santiago and Valparaiso leaving 177 dead, 2,575 hurt, 142,489 destroyed houses, and about 1,000,000 people homeless. -
Tight Budget
Challenge Faced
The Kwan family had a tight budget. Michelle and her sister Karen had to use hand-me-downs from their three cousins. They also had to sell their house then moved into a house belonging to their grandparents. At one point Michelle and Karen had to stop skating lessons and used each other for guidance. -
Iceskating coach Frank Carroll
Significant Person
Michelle’s coach Frank has been training her for figure skating events and compitions since Michelle’s figure skating career started. He has trained her since she was ten years old. When Michelle was 21 she decided to end their coaching relationship. "I need to take responsibility for my own skating" she says. -
Paintings Stolen
History
Twelve paintings collectively worth $100-300 million are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. -
Body was changing
Challenge Faced
While Michelle was training, her body began to grow and change which made it harder to leap into the air and have speed while practicing and in events. -
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Won 5 World figure skating championships
Achievement
Michelle won five World figure skating championships in 1996, 2000, 2001, and 2003. She has won the most in the ladies division since Carol Heiss. -
World Record
World History Event
February 27 – While trying to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon, Colin Prescot and Andy Elson set a new endurance record after being aloft for 233 hours and 55 minutes. -
Ambassadorship Endeavors
Achievement
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 17–25, 2007. Her diplomatic position as an envoy has continued in the Barack Obama administration. -
Still Living
Death- Michelle is still living!
In June 2009, Michelle graduated 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.
