Bonnie st john biography

Bonnie St. John (born November 7, 1964) is an American former Paralympic skier, author, and public speaker.
Civic leader and skier Bonnie St. John was born on November 7, 1964 in Detroit, Michigan to Ruby Cremaschi-Schwimmer, an educator, and Lee St. John, an engineer.
Bonnie St. John is an American former Paralympic skier, author, and public speaker.

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As the Paris 2024 Paralympics close, you’ve likely seen videos of past Olympic and Paralympian athletes resurfaced across social media and the news.

A Paralympian legend we hope to see grace our feeds is Bonnie St. John.

Bonnie was the first black athlete to win medals at the Paralympic Winter Games and went on to become a Harvard graduate, a Rhodes Scholar and a White House official.

A Paralympian uphill battle

Bonnie was born with a stunted leg that could cause critical health issues later in life. At only 5 years old, her left leg was amputated.

Her father left before she was born, which put her family in a difficult financial position.

Regardless, Bonnie’s mother, Ruby Cremaschi-Schwimmer, fostered a bold confidence within Bonnie and taught her the power of positive thinking.

This prepared her for the obstacles she faced as a member of such a marginalized community.

Bonnie also credits her mother for encouraging her to ski as she loved the sport but didn’t feel like a star candidate.

Despite her doubts, Bonnie proved herself otherwise. To fund her training, she

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Fortune 500 Leadership Expert | Olympic Ski Medalist | Amputee | Rhodes Scholar | Former White House Official | Best-Selling Author

From the spotlight of national television to the Olympic ski slopes of Europe. From Wall Street to Washington DC, Bonnie St. John embodies the true essence of winning. A WSB exclusive speaker for over 20 years, Bonnie challenges audiences to push through their own limitations and re-energize their lives to achieve peak performance.

Bonnie knows a lot about achieving success against incredible odds.

Despite having her right leg amputated at age five, she became the first African-American to win medals in Winter Olympic competition, taking home a silver and two bronze medals at the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria. In recognition of this historic achievement, Bonnie was quoted on millions of Starbucks coffee cups and was honored by President George W. Bush at a White House celebration of Black History Month.

Bonnie graduated with honors from Harvard, won a Rhodes Scholarship, earned numerous sales awards at I

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Bonnie St. John

American para-alpine skier

Bonnie St. John (born November 7, 1964) is an American former Paralympic skier, author, and public speaker. St. John had her right leg amputated below the knee when she was 5 years old. Despite these challenges, she went on to excel as an athlete, a scholar, a mother and a businesswoman. She is the first African-American to win medals in Winter Paralympic competition as a ski racer, and the first African-American to medal in any paralympic event.^[1] St. John earned bronze and silver medals in several alpine skiing events during the 1984 Winter Paralympics.^[2]^[3] After graduating from Harvard and earning a Rhodes Scholarship, St. John went on to successful corporate career, first in sales with IBM, then as a corporate consultant. She has also written six books, including one each with her daughter Darcy, and her husband, Allen P. Haines.^[1]^[4]

Early life

Bonnie St. John was born in Detroit on November 7, 1964, and was raised in San Diego.^[5] Her mother, Ruby Cremas