Kristi Yamaguchi
Figure Skater
Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi is a yonsei (4th generation) Japanese American born in Hayward, California (1971). She took skating and ballet lessons as a form of physical therapy for her club feet. She eventually became a member of the US team to compete in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, where she won gold in the Ladies' Singles. In 1996, Yamaguchi founded the Always Dream Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to help underprivileged children with afterschool programs, computers, back-to-school clothing and to set up summer camps for children with disabilities.
(Portrait by Fatima Khugiani, SFSU 2013)