Walking across the San Diego State University campus, you would have excused 19-year-old Jeremy Poincenot if he had a perpetual grin on his face. The business major was kicking butt in his classes, was playing golf every chance he got, had a beautiful girlfriend, and was a leader in his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. He was living the dream in beautiful, sunny, Southern California and life was good.
One day on his way to class, Jeremy found himself squinting to read a sign on campus. He had that moment of realization – although he had always had 20/20 vision, maybe it was time to go get his eyes checked. He called his mom and asked her to help him make an appointment. “Figured I probably needed glasses or something,” Jeremy said.
Instead, over the course of the next several months, Jeremy learned that he had a rare genetic condition called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), an incurable disease that strikes only about 100 people a year. He completely lost his central vision. Imagine holding your hands up a half-inch from your eyeballs. In a matter of weeks, Jeremy lost the ability to read, drive and distinguish faces.
The depression set in. For months he sat around his parents’ house, wondering why him? How could something like this just happen out of the blue? Why didn’t anyone know how to fight this disease? He couldn’t see a path forward, and his depression started taking a toll on his entire family.
Then he learned about blind golf. He had always loved playing golf, so with the help of his father, Lionel, he entered the International Blind Golf Association’s world championship tournament in Britain. Although he was the youngest competitor by at least 15 years, with his dad as his guide and his caddy, Jeremy won his division.
Today, Jeremy Poincenot (pronounced “POYN-sen-no”) is touring the country talking to college students about how to overcome adversity and find new ways to achieve. He is busy raising money to find a cure for LHON. He appeared in an episode of MTV’s “True Life” about young people losing their sight. He will soon appear in an episode of “Golf in America” on the Golf Channel.
Most of all, he’s infecting people with his positive attitude and sense of humor. “Life hands you some crazy and unexpected circumstances,” Jeremy said. “When that happens, you really find out what you’re made of. I guess I want to help college students and young people understand that the choices you make and the attitude you choose make all the difference between regret and a life with meaning.”
I appreciated how honest you were about your feelings, both the positive and the negative aspects...too often speakers sugar-coat their emotions and I like how raw you portrayed your feelings.
Jessica R., San Diego State University, Alpha Eta Sigma Honor Society
Jeremy has a talent for motivating people, and a way of making every person he speaks with feel that they are the most important person in the room.
Michael B., Northwest Missouri State University, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity
Jeremy’s story reminds me that it’s the possibility of having dreams come true that makes life interesting.
Kevin N., San Diego State University, Alpha Eta Sigma Honor Society
Keynotes
- Inspiration Beyond the Blur
Inspiration Beyond the Blur
Lots of inspirational, motivational speakers have a story of personal adversity, but for college audiences, Jeremy Poincenot has a pretty damn good one. At 19, in a period of a couple months, Jeremy went from 20/20 vision to legal blindness, due to a disease called LHON. He went from being a dynamic, fun-loving campus leader at San Diego State University to a depressed young man, sitting in his parents’ house in a complete depression, wondering “why?”
But like all meaningful journeys, Jeremy found something to bring him back from the abyss. He had always loved golf, and after learning about the World Blind Golf Championships, he entered. With his dad as his guide and caddy, Jeremy became the World Blind Golf champion, beating competitors a generation older and more experienced.
Not a bad rebound.
In his campus program, Jeremy tells the story: the devastation, the depression, the desperation, and the hope he finally found. He talks about how one’s character uniquely shapes a response to tragedy. He talks about how today’s students can become more resilient, and therefore better able to handle the challenges that might await them.
Having just graduated in 2013, Jeremy brings something to your college audience that few others can – proximity. He speaks to his own generation about entitlement, commitment, and making something of yourself when the odds are stacked against you.
“Inspiration Beyond the Blur” will touch your college audience and is perfect for leadership events, Greek Weeks, or any event where an uplifting message is needed.
Jeremy's Bio
Jeremy is a 2013 graduate of San Diego State University. He’s a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and an avid golfer. He resides in San Diego, California.
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