Katia's Page - Investigation 2

Michael Phelps
Known as the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps is the most recognized and respected swimmer of all time. He has a total of 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them being gold. Michael was born in Baltimore Maryland, being the younger of two sisters. As his father was a state trooper, it was his athletic abilities that rubbed off on all his children. All three kids got into swimming, and although when starting out at the age of 7, Phelps was afraid of putting his face in the water, he still excelled greater than the rest. Something very admirable about him is that at such a young age, he was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, yet still fought through his fear and diagnosis to push himself to swim and train and pursue what he loved doing, which was swimming. It was after joining his high school swimming team where his coach saw potential in his and decided to train him and shape him into the swimmer he is today. One of the aspects that are so respectable in him is that in 2000, at 15 years old he accomplished more than most people have in their lifetimes. He landed himself a spot in the 2000 Summer Olympics, making him the youngest male to represent America in 68 years. Although not winning any medals then, since that point, he has set multiple world record, has won the most gold medals than any of swimmer, and with dedication has shaped himself into the role model he is today. Being a competitive swimmer myself, I look up to Michael Phelps because he expresses hard work and dedication, as it was him that made him who he is today, which is what I admire most. He is most impressive for being able to excel and start competing in the Olympics at such a young age and has not stopped improving since, and showing that if you truly want something, you can work your way towards it. I would love to interview Michael Phelps since I grew up competitively swimming and it becoming my favourite sport. I would like to personally ask him his routine, and what his training was like growing up and how he excelled so quickly. By hearing about the way he did it, I would hope to learn some things that I could apply to my training to become a better swimmer.

Kat Von D
Katherine Von Drachenberg, or better known as Kat Von D, was born on March 8, 1982, in Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. She is known to be one of the best and most successful tattoo artists in the industry, and in 2008 partnering with Sephora to launch her own makeup line, which is now one of the most top rated. She grew up with an interest in piano and her grandmother’s love for art and music is who Katherine says helped her realize her artistic interests. After getting her first tattoo at 14, she was intrigued by the art and decided to pick it up herself, only to realize it was her passion. At 16, she dropped out of school to pursue her dream career, which was being a tattoo artist. While some might frown upon this, I find it inspiring and that she expresses dedication. What’s most impressive about her is over the next couple following years of her working, she was constantly being given recognition about the quality of her work because she was good at what she does. She was then scouted by the television series ‘Miami Ink’ in 2005, which is when she rose to fame. She even set the Guinness World Record for tattooing the most tattoos in 24 hours, which were 400. Her career flourished even more in 2008, after Sephora approached her wanting to work with her on creating her own makeup line. Kat Von D Beauty is now one of the most top rated beauty brands on the market, and it was all due to her perseverance and hard work in creating the most quality tattoos and makeup products.

Sephora
Sephora is known as one of the most highly successful chains of cosmetic stores, being located all over the world. It all started in 1969 when Dominique Mandonnaud decided to open up his own perfumery in Limoges, France, but he wanted it to stand out from the rest. His shop, ‘Shop 8’, allowed customers to touch, smell, and try on products which was a concept unheard of at the time and he was the first to do it. Instantly, his idea became successful and by 1979, he had opened 12 more stores. At the time, the chain ‘Sephora’ had already existed with 38 shops, which partnered with a department store group and were not making much profit. Being able to expand, Dominique bought out Sephora combining it with Shop 8, meaning he now owned 50 stores. Since then to this day, Sephora has not stopped expanding and has only grown larger and more successful. They have launched their own makeup line as well as carrying nearly 300 other makeup lines. Sephora is such an impressive company because they not once have experienced a negative trajectory, as it has only become bigger and better. I admire Dominique Mandonnaud since he broke against all odds in becoming such a successful entrepreneur with very limited education and managed to revolutionize the makeup industry into something so grand, where everyone is satisfied and is able to find something for himself or herself.