Blake Leeper has overcome adversity throughout his life, being born without his lower legs, and has gone on to win bronze and silver medals in the Paralympic Games. On Thursday, Leeper will come to Weber State University to speak before a crowd at the Wildcat Theater at noon.

Alexis Frias, the convocations chair for the activities committee says that he worked in collaboration with Tara Peris-Caputo and Emma Clark to choose people that they thought Weber’s students would benefit from hearing. Frias said that when they were looking at the list of names, Leeper stood out to them.

“He has a really unique story,” Frias said. “Even though he was born without legs below the knees, he never saw it as a disability. Even in high school, he played on the basketball team.”

Leeper didn’t stop at high school, and since then, he has competed in the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field National Championships and has won bronze and silver medals in London during the 2012 Paralympic Games. After these wins, Leeper appeared on Good Morning America and received endorsements from notable corporations like Wheaties and Nike. Leeper’s next goal is to become the first American Paralympian to participate in the Olympic Games. Leeper’s experiences have provided him with message that he is sharing to everyone he can.

Frias and the activities committee booked Leeper online through his agent so that he come share his story with Weber State.

“He’ll be talking a little bit about everything: his story and his experiences,”Frias said. “I feel like a lot of students give excuses. They’ll learn not to set limitations on themselves and to keep going.”