Michelle Kwan: From Triple Toes to Foreign Diplomacy

Earlier this month Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, visited Yale University under the auspices of the Chubb Fellowship at Timothy Dwight College.
 
As one of Yale's most prestigious honors conferred on visiting speakers, Kwan was selected for her widely recognized athletic accomplishments and for her demonstrated role in public diplomacy. Previous Chubb Fellows include President Harry Truman, author Toni Morrison, and journalist Nicholas Kristoff.
 
During her lecture in front of local residents and Yale students, including U.S. figure skater Nathan Chen, Kwan discussed how figure skating led her to the world of public service.
 
"It felt like yesterday, when I made a grand statement to my family at seven," said Kwan. "I said, 'Mom and Dad, I know what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to be an Olympic figure skater.'"
 
At the time, Kwan only knew that she loved the sport. She loved that you could wear sparkly costumes and skate fast to beautiful music. What she didn't know then is how good she would be at it, and where that greatness would carry her.
 
"At the age of 13-years-old, I was a silver medalist at the 94th National Championship," said Kwan. "I was pushed into the spotlight...from 13 on, it became my life."
 
While Kwan's main focus was to become better and stronger as an athlete, she simultaneously faced many challenges that would prepare her to take on more complex, global issues.
 
"It's (my) moment to go to the Olympics and here I was before Nationals in a cast," explained Kwan, as she recalled a pivotal moment in her life. "I could quit... Or I could approach it with a good attitude and really say, 'What the heck? I'm just going to go for it.'"
 
During those Nationals, Kwan scored multiple 6.0's, qualifying for the Olympics.
 
"That's where I take those lessons learned from sports," explained Kwan. "I could throw in the towel, or I can lean in with a smile on my face and be like, 'It is the way it is and I'm just going to have a good attitude and do my very best.' And sometimes that's good enough."
 
Kwan explained that these lessons became essential as she transitioned into the life of public diplomacy.
 
"It was an interesting transition from sports," explained Kwan honestly.
 
After a lunch chatting about foreign policy with George W. Bush, Kwan was invited to become a Public Envoy for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. After realizing her passion for educational and cultural development, Kwan quickly moved into a senior advisor position in the State Department, and then ultimately served as a Surrogate Outreach Coordinator to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton during her presidential campaign.
 
While many members of the campaign panicked under stressful circumstances, Kwan explained that skating prepared her to deal with difficult situations and to reach out to people and find solutions.
 
"There's a lot of fires," Kwan said in reference to the campaign trail. "As an athlete, you're always put in tough situations, but somehow you're able to take a deep breath and step back a little bit and analyze the situation and deal with it accordingly. There's always a fire somewhere."
 
During her time as a Public Envoy, Kwan discussed how even figure skating itself was a bridge to diplomacy.
 
"Despite differences of race, gender, sex, religion, it doesn't matter. All these differences are put aside when you're talking sports. It's incredible."
 
As a Public Envoy, Kwan was able to travel the world under the Bureau of Cultural Affairs and talk with students about educational and social issues. Then as a senior advisor, she moved more behind the scenes to broaden the scope of exchange programs, including, of course, sports diplomacy.
 
From both a micro and macro level, Kwan was able to use her skills from figure skating to bridge connections across the world.
 
Kwan recalls her first time at the Olympics and the sense of patriotism it instilled.
 
"The responsibility is more extreme, especially when you're head to toe in Team USA [gear]... but you have to go out and deliver and try to make everyone proud."
 
From figure skating to public diplomacy to politics, that's exactly what Kwan's been doing—trying (and succeeding) to make everyone proud.