Two-time Olympian figure skater Michelle Kwan is coming to Gainesville on Thursday.
Kwan will be at the Reitz Union, Room 2355, at noon to talk about Hillary Clinton’s New College Compact while meeting with local volunteers and organizers, a campaign spokesman confirmed.
She will also stop by 4056 W. Newberry Road, one of the campaign’s offices, at 2 p.m. to participate in a phone bank and meet with volunteers interested in helping out the campaign, the spokesman said.
While on campus, Kwan will talk about Clinton’s college plan, which proposes free tuition at community colleges and helping students with student debt to defer loan payments.
Kwan, who competed in figure skating in the Olympics in 1998 and 2002, has been an avid supporter of Clinton.
Jake Best, the president of Gators 4 Hillary, said he heard about Kwan coming to UF a couple of days ago.
“She just wants to come and show support on UF campus,” the 19-year-old UF journalism sophomore said. “We’re just excited that they’re gonna bring in someone like her who’s really well-known and famous.”
While at the Reitz Union, Kwan will help register students to vote. The deadline to register in Florida is Oct. 11.
Best said although Gators 4 Hillary isn’t hosting Kwan, the group is hoping to host other public figures on campus to encourage students to vote.
“Hopefully we’ll have more people coming in, but nothing’s really set in stone,” he said.
Michelle Kwan performing her signature spiral at a practice session at the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships