Kyle Maynard, author and motivational speaker, will present his program “No Excuses” at 7 p.m. Thursday in the University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall. Maynard is also a model and entrepreneur, despite his being born with a rare disorder called congenital amputation. Maynard’s condition essentially means that his arms end at his elbows and his legs end at his knees.

Kent State Athletics and the Center for Student Involvement are co-sponsoring Maynard’s visit.

“I think students are going to gain two crucial things when they listen to Kyle’s speech. First I think they will get a better understanding of things that are in their control and things that are out of their control,” said Joey Leonardo, Maynard’s best friend and manager. “Kyle will [also] teach the audience how he has found his purpose in life and hopefully show them how to look for their own.”

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics typically sponsors at least one speaker a year to focus on a certain topic.

“For this year, we chose to focus on mental health. Because this topic is very universal, we thought it was appropriate to open the presentation to the entire KSU community,” said Angie Seabeck, director of student-athlete development. “I believe that students can learn quite a bit from the journey of others. Although [Kyle] was born a congenital amputee, Kyle has not allowed his situation to be an excuse for falling short of his goals.”

Maynard has traveled to five continents to speak at business meetings, schools, universities and programs supporting injured veterans. Maynard has also been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, ESPN’s SportsCenter and ABC’s 20/20 and Good Morning America.

Contact Nana Battah at [email protected] .