Bonnie St. John

**Bonnie St. John** (born November 7, 1964) be American former Paralympic skier, author, den public speaker. St. John get ein right leg amputated below de knee wen na she be 5 years old. Despite dese challenges, she go on make she excel as athlete, scholar, mommie den businesswoman. She be de first African-American make she win medals insyd Winter Paralympic competition as ski racer, den de first African-American to medal insyd any paralympic event. St. John earn bronze den silver medals insyd several alpine skiing events during de 1984 Winter Paralympics. After she graduate from Harvard den earn Rhodes Scholarship, St. John go on to successful corporate career, first insyd sales plus IBM, then as corporate consultant. She sanso wrep six books, wey dey include one each plus ein daughter Darcy, den ein husby, Allen P. Haines.

## Early life

Na dem born Bonnie St. John insyd Detroit for November 7, 1964, wey dem raise am insyd San Diego. Na ein mommie, Ruby Cremaschi-Schwimmer, be principal for Lincoln High School (San Diego). Ein poppie, Lee St. John, lef before na dem born am. Ein mommie later marry older man, wey physically abuse St. John den ein older sisto. Due to condition dem bell pre-femoral focal disorder, St. John get ein right leg amputated below de knee wen na she be 5 years old. She graduate from The Bishop's School insyd 1982, wey she graduate *magna cum laude* from Harvard University insyd 1986, St. John win Rhodes Scholarship to Trinity College, Oxford, wer na she earn ein M.Litt. degree insyd economics for 1990 insyd.

## Athletic career

For de 1984 Winter Paralympics insyd Innsbruck, Austria, St. John win bronze medal insyd de slalom, bronze medal insyd de giant slalom, wey na dem award am silver medal for overall performance thereby she earn ein distinction of being de second fastest woman insyd de world for one leg insyd dat year.

## Writing career

St. John wrep six books: *Succeeding Sane*; *Getting Ahead at Work Without Leaving Your Family Behind*; *Money: Fall Down? Get Up!*; *How Strong Women Pray*; *Live Your Joy*; and written with her teenage daughter, Darcy Deane, *How Great Women Lead.*  Togeda, dem travel around de world for extraordinary mother-daughter journey into de lives, den life lessons, of fascinating women leaders wey dey include Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Presido of Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, den Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Ein latest book be *Micro-Resilience*, plus ein husby Allen Haines.

## Ein life matter

Na Bonnie St. John formerly marry Dr. Grant Deane, ocean acoustician den physicist for Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

For de 2002 Winter Paralympics insyd Salt Lake City, Utah, St. John speak during de opening ceremonies.

Insyd February 2007, as part of de celebration of Black History Month, na dem honour St. John for de White House by Presido George W. Bush wey say: "[Bonnie St. John] is the kind of person that you really want to be around, and the kind of person that shows that individual courage matters in life."

Insyd 2006 na dem feature St. John insyd nationwide Starbucks campaign dem bell "The Way I See It", wich feature beverage cups plus inspirational quotes from various public figures. Na St. John ein quote be as follows: "I was ahead in the slalom. But in the second run, everyone fell on a dangerous spot. I was beaten by a woman that got up faster than I did. I learned that people fall down, winners get up, and gold medal winners just get up faster."

NBC Nightly News select St. John as "One of the five most inspiring women in America". She appear for *The Today Show*, *Good Morning America*, CNN, *Montel* den de Discovery Health Channel top. *The New York Times* den *People* sanso profile St. John wey dem note am extraordinary achievements. She work insyd de White House during de Clinton administration as Director for de National Economic Council, wey she currently be CEO of Courageous Spirit, Inc.

## References


## External links

* Interview with Bonnie St. John on "How Strong Women Pray."
* Interview with Grant Deane about his work recording the sounds of melting glaciers in Svalbard, Norway.