The auditorium buzzes with the level of energy only a room full of students could reach in anticipation of an unfamiliar face a new story to be told.

  As Steve Pettit introduces himself and captivates his audience with a schoolwide yell, no one in the packed auditorium can predict just how different they’ll be once he exits the stage.

  Some, like senior Maddie McGowan, claim that the change within them was profound – they now look at the world in a whole new way.

  “I feel like there is something that we can do, and there is something that you should do as a person, just morally,” McGowan said. “You have a responsibility to help others if you see the kinds of things that go on in the world and know that you have the capability to do something about it.”

  Pettit, a former Dallastown wrestler, engineer, and pastor, discussed with the entire student body how he came to create dozens of businesses, including the popular Sweet Frog frozen yogurt shops, to benefit those who have nothing in developing countries around the world.

  Senior Megan Barnish emphasizes that the main message of his speech dealt with placing personal gain aside in favor of what will benefit the world as a whole.

  “…He was basically telling us how it’s really important that in our lives [that] we don’t just find a career we like, but we use our career for something greater than ourselves,” said Barnish. “…We use our money to turn our attention to other causes and try to help people basically wherever our interest is.”

  It is clear that Pettit’s interest lies in helping others – though he and his family have gone through some difficult times, working to better the lives of millions of street kids has helped to alleviate the weight of their struggles.

  Throughout his speech, Pettit shared some astonishing statistics with the crowd, several of which greatly affected junior Gabee Ogude.

  “The statistic about…how a kid that’s on the streets can be sexually assaulted or harassed within 48 hours as well as 100 million kids that are homeless [shocked me],” Ogude said.

  Though these numbers certainly had an impact, it was the meaning behind them that really brought the theme of the talk home for Ogude.

  “I was angry at myself for not doing as much as I could have in the past and for not appreciating the things that I have as much as I should be, and I started to be driven to do something in the future,” said Ogude. “…I talked to him about what I could do and I’m really looking into flipping houses…that’s something that I want to spend my summers doing.”

  McGowan was also inspired by Pettit’s ideas about being actively involved in helping others.

  “It actually was really inspiring to me because I was looking to do something like that in my life,” McGowan said. “…Maybe not, like, start companies in India, but…one thing I was looking at was…Doctors without Borders…getting involved with that…maybe not in the medical field, but in a more business aspect, kind of similar to the way he has, to help people that are less privileged than I am, so it was really inspiring to hear [somebody else’s] journey to help others.”

     After addressing the whole school, Pettit ventured into several business classes where, according to McGowan, he discussed a different aspect of altering the world for the better.

  “When he was talking in…Entrepreneurship…he [said that he] wants us to become business leaders to make a difference because he knows we can, and he wants us to be the generation to make a change in business,” said McGowan.

  Many students, including Barnish, were drawn to the concept of opening up a future encompassing more than one career to strive for.

  “…We don’t talk about stuff like this enough. It’s something that, like he was saying, a lot of a people turn a blind eye to because it’s too painful to deal with; it’s really hard to think about,” Barnish said. “…It kind of inspired me to think about how the fact that because  we’re always taught in school that our career is the end-all, be -all of our lives, but it makes us think about how there’s other things that we can do and our career isn’t the only important thing. The important thing is giving back to the world and giving back to people who aren’t as fortunate as us.”

  The impact of Pettit’s message rings true in the voices of the students he inspired – perhaps Ogude said it best in summarizing his words.

  “I took away that there are some obvious things that I was overlooking about my privilege and about how education itself is a privilege. Some people don’t get that, and even sleeping on a bed is a luxury, so I should be more mindful, more optimistic about my own life because others don’t have as much as I do, and try to help,” said Ogude. “I felt like I knew what was going on, but now, I’m driven to take action. It’s not just about what you say you’re going to do. It’s about actually helping people that don’t have what you have. I like the quote that says, ‘Live simply so others can simply live.’”

  You can learn more about the Big World Project, Pettit’s organization, on their website, where you can donate or even sponsor a child in their care.