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Born in Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of Danny and Estella Kwan, Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. 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 8 years old. They practiced three to four hours a day--waking up at 3am to skate before school and going back to the rink right after school to skate again. Paying for their increased rink time led to financial hardship for Kwan's working-class family. Kwan's mother took on a second job and her father started working extra hours to finance the rink time and coaching fees. Michelle's determination was apparent from an early age. Because the struggling family couldn't afford a Christmas tree, Michelle made it her goal to win one at school by threading the most popcorn on a string. She ended up winning a miniature Christmas tree for the family's holiday celebration. Eventually the family decided to sell their house, but that still wasn't enough to finance the skating. When Michelle was ten years old, her family could no longer afford a coach. Luckily, talent scouts noticed them at that year's regional competition and awarded them scholarships to the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California. Michelle and Karen continued to train and compete, Michelle generally being more successful than Karen. In 1999, Michelle enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles with the intent to major in Psychology or Political Science. Kwan recently stated that she plans to return to UCLA to finish her degree in the near future. |
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