Kristi Yamaguchi
by Ilene from Roseville
"Heroes are made by the paths chosen, not the paths they are graced with."
-Brodie Ashton
That is exactly what Kristi Yamaguchi did. She was born in 1971 in Hayward, California. She was born with and grew up with club feet. Her mother enrolled Kristi in figure skating as a form of therapy to fix Yamaguchi's feet at the age of six. Kristi chose her own path and that was the path of excelling. She eventually won the women's singles at the Olympics in 1992. I chose Kristi Yamaguchi as my hero because she is giving, dedicated, and wholehearted-the most important qualities of a hero.
Firstly, I admire Kristi Yamaguchi because she is giving. She is giving because she has a charity that she founded in 1998 called the Always Dream Foundation. It is a foundation that donated money towards schools in San Francisco Bay Area in California. This is something very close to Kristi's heart because she, herself, had a rough time in school because of her dyslexia and her economical issues. She understands what more unfortunate children are going through and wants to make them live a better life then she did during her childhood.That is why Kristi Yamaguchi is giving.
Secondly, I chose Mrs. Yamaguchi as my hero because she is dedicated. The literal definition of dedicated is,"believing that an activity or idea is important and giving lots of energy and time to it." That is exactly what Kristi Yamaguchi is.Kristi does not stop at anything no matter what it is. For example, she said, "It's a constant reminder to dream big, never lose sight of my goals, and strive to become a better person." She is just trying to make society a better place. Kristi's passion has been figure skating ever since she was little following Dorothy Hamill's footsteps. Her devotion to life was not just accomplishing many things like winning Dancing With the Stars or winning Worlds two times, but her devotion was about making society a better place. Despite her achievements, she still does not consider herself more superior to others. For instance, on her "Always Dream" website she stated,"While I have been so well supported in the pursuit of my dreams, I know that such opportunities do not exist for all children." That shows how she still does not consider herself superior. She also is dedicated because she has been helping children with her foundation for fifteen years. She has devoted her time to that charity when she could be doing many other things with her own kids. That is why I admire Kristi Yamaguchi's dedication.
Lastly,
Kristi Yamaguchi is also very wholehearted. Yamaguchi would stop at
nothing to open her charity even if it meant not winning the Olympics.
She has dreamed about this all of her life and did anything to open it.
According to her website, "The
motto "Always Dream" has served as a personal inspiration throughout my
life." That means that she never stopped believing and that is why she
is at the top. Kristi has always dreamed about making society a better
place and she has achieved that.That is what her dedication to life is and I admire her for that.That is why Kristi Yamaguchi is wholehearted.
As
you can see, Kristi Yamaguchi is very giving, dedicated, and is a
wholehearted person. She has many accomplishments and achievements and
still uses her fame for good no matter what. She is unstoppable.That is
why she is my hero.
Page created on 12/17/2013 12:00:00 AM
Last edited 12/17/2013 12:00:00 AM
The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.
Extra Info
Figure Skating's Greatest Stars is a book about many figure skaters but has an article about Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristi Yamaguchi has also written a book called Dream Big Little Pig to inspire little children about reaching for the stars
You can also find out more about Kristi Yamaguchi by logging on to kristiyamaguchi.com
