Bobby Petrocelli will speak Monday at 8 p.m. in the Mississippi State University Humphrey Coliseum.
An inspirational speaker for 18 years, Petrocelli said he will touch on many issues which affect college students at the event.
“Literally, I will be speaking on Life 101,” Petrocelli said. “Every issue facing college students in America will be addressed in the program that I give.”
Petrocelli said he speaks to an array of groups from sports groups to student government organizations about many topics.
“One thing I talk about is the power of every decision and how every moment matters,” he said. “Every moment is important and there [are] no throw-away decisions.”
Petrocelli explained how he tragically lost his first wife when a drunk driver drove into his house and killed her. He said this experience gave him the desire to travel and to help people.
“This is not a drinking and driving message,” Petrocelli said. “My whole prospective is completely different than most of the stuff out there, because most of the stuff that is out there is not working.”
Petrocelli explained too many programs go after a simple behavioral change, but he goes after the heart.
“If we go after someone’s heart, we can change their behavior,” he said.
Petrocelli said his mission is to change lives.
“I want people to find their destiny and purpose, and to live the most fulfilling life they can,” Petrocelli said. “I want people to know they are building their destinies rights now.”
Jennifer Busby, freshman communication major and Pi Beta Phi Vice President of Communication, said after the tragic event in Petrocelli’s life, he now speaks about how to get through the darkness of life and how to gain back your friendship, faith and find new people to love.
“Some of the topics he speaks on include triumph over tragedy, 10 seconds can change your life forever, virtual reality, making a difference, 10 seconds at a time and life after loss,” Busby said. “He will be speaking on one of these topics.”
Busby said the sorority’s goal in bringing Petrocelli is to encourage better decisions over spring break.
“A lot of people think he is going to talk about, ‘Don’t get drunk over spring break,’ but he’s really not,” Busby said. “He speaks to students about how they can use power in their decisions and how to build a strong foundation with their decisions.”
Brittany White, freshman political science major and external relations chair for Pi Beta Phi, said Bobby Petrocelli is an outstanding speaker.
“He encourages his audiences to think about their every day decisions, because the decisions we make today, not only affect our own lives, but the lives of others,” White said. “He’s dynamic, funny and, with a coaching background, knows how to relate to students.”
White said she hopes for a wonderful turn out.
“It’s important to keep students and the public informed about current issues,” White said. “Bobby speaks about his wife, who was killed by a drunk driver, and how the power of that man’s decision, killed his wife and changed his life.”
White said Petrocelli’s message helps students put decision making into perspective.
“It’s important to bring Bobby to campus, because hopefully he can empower people to make good decisions,” she said. “He will inspire you to be a better person.”
Kristin Stentiford, junior elementary education major and Pi Beta Phi Chapter President, said Petrocelli is a very good speaker who keeps the audience’s attention.
“He knows how a split decision can change someone’s life forever,” Stentiford said. “I think that as college students, we tend to forget that our actions can affect others.”
She said Pi Beta Phi wants to help the people in the community grow and become leaders, as well as educate the community in new ways.
“Whether it be our speaker or another speaker coming, it is always good to offer this to our community,” she said. “To hear about someone’s experiences that you are not familiar with can teach you a lot.”
Stentiford said Pi Beta Phi chose to bring Petrocelli here because they want people to understand the power of one decision.
“Bobby is a great guy and we want everyone to come hear him speak,” Stentiford said. “He is funny, and I promise that you will not be disappointed.”
Busby said the sorority has received a lot of positive feedback from people who have heard Petrocelli speak in the past.
“He has spoken at places like Memphis, all the way to the University of Washington and he has spoken at every other institution in Mississippi other than Mississippi State,” Busby said. “The people that have heard him speak … say he is hilarious.”
Busby said she encourages students to come out next Monday to the event.
“He is a really good speaker and we want to bring that to the students,” she said. “We are even encouraging Starkville high school students to come.”
Petrocelli says he wants students to attend so they can start changing their behavior now.
“There will be kids who attend that program on Monday night that their lives will radically change forever,” Petrocelli said.
The doors will open at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to everyone.
Disclosure: Assistant News Editor Julia Pendley is a member of Pi Beta Phi.