debi thomas was a refreshing brown face in a sea of snow white. in 1986, she was an inspiration to many when she became the first black Olympian to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. a beautiful, intelligent young girl excelling at the highest level? she certainly made us proud. before that, the young girl from poughkeepsie, ny moved to san jose, and took up the ice skating hobby. while competing, debi often faced racism and bias as she performed extremely well but got lower scores than her more mediocre counterparts. debi did not let that get in the way of her goals. she went on to win the 1986 World Championship and a two time US national champion. but thomas wasn't through yet. debi had always dreamed of being a doctor and went on to pursue that goal fiercely. she earned her degree in engineering from Stamford University and her medical degree from northwestern. debi became an orthopedic surgeon and opened her own private practice in virginia. ms. thomas proved to be a prime example of black excellence.
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