Early life and education
Vera Ellen Wang was born and raised in New York City, and is of 
Chinese
 descent. Her parents were born in China, and came to the United States 
in the mid-1940s. Her mother, Florence Wu, worked as a translator for 
the 
United Nations, while her father, Cheng Ching Wang, owned a 
medicine company. Wang has one younger brother, Kenneth.
Wang graduated from 
The Chapin School in 1967, attended the 
University of Paris and earned a degree in 
art history from 
Sarah Lawrence College. Wang began 
figure skating at the age of eight.
[2] While in high school, she trained with 
pairs partner James Stuart, and competed at the 1968 
U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She was featured in 
Sports Illustrated's 
Faces in the Crowd in the January 9, 1968 issue.
[3] When she failed