OLSH welcomed Roberto Clemente Jr. to the auditorium this week for the latest installment of our Speaker Series. Clemente Jr. regaled the audience with stories about his father, Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente, and shared advice for living a faith-filled life of service to others.

Throughout his talk, Clemente Jr. reflected on the love story between his father and the city of Pittsburgh. His father understood the importance of hard work, and respected Pirates fans who may have been spending their last dollar to attend a game. He was also a man of great faith, who carried a Bible with him on the road and took fellow God-fearing teammates under his wing.

That spirit of faith and appreciation for others carried over to Clemente Jr., who recognizes that we are all children of God. Following the death of his father, in the darkest time of his life, faith and service to others saved him. He followed the roadmap that his father had laid out before him - to respect, love, and do God’s will. While he reflected on how the feeling of fulfillment from helping others got him through tough times, Clemente Jr. also shared plenty of fun stories about fan interactions, as well as his own travels and experience working in baseball.

The second half of the evening featured a Q&A session during which audience members asked Clemente Jr. questions about his father’s legacy and shared their own personal stories of meeting him. One audience member shared that he wrote to Clemente on his birthday and received an autographed photo back. He brought it with him that night.

Charlotte Gaunter, sophomore class officer, asked Clemente Jr. for one piece of advice for OLSH students. He responded, “You must realize that we all come from the same place and that we’re all brothers and sisters. The one thing that makes us unique is God. Make sure that whatever you do, whatever you touch, you do it in a positive way.”

We are so grateful to Roberto Clemente Jr. for spending the evening with us and for sharing his stories and wisdom.