Hobart and William Smith Colleges

29 April 2008 Saperstein 04 receives humanitarian award

On April 19, Jesse A. Saperstein 04 was honored with a humanitarian award for his contributions toward fighting pediatric AIDS as well as an Appalachain Trail hike he organized for the same cause.

The hike is a testament towards Hobart and William Smith Colleges emphasis on public service, Saperstein said. Saperstein was honored by the The Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation, which provides adolescents and teens with the opportunity to attend AIDS related summer camp programs. It also provides AIDS prevention and education programs throughout the United States.

Graduating cum laude with a B.A. in English, he served as a residential adviser to the AIDS Awareness House, made the Deans List and spent a Spring Semester studying off campus in Bath, England. Saperstein was inducted into the Orange Key Society and named a Hobart Deans Scholar, a Hobart and a Hale Scholar. As a senior, he was named a Durfee Scholar and received the Senior Outstanding Achievement in the Humanities Award which is given by the Alumni Association to a student who has excelled in the studies of the humanities. He also received The Presidents Public Service Award which is given in honor of a students contribution to the community in the area of public service and civic engagement.

Saperstein has since spent a year hiking the 2,174 mile Appalachian Trail to raise funds for the Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation. He is currently working to publish a psychological, self-help memoir about his Appalachian Trail journey. The event was held at Xavier High School in New York City. All proceeds benefited the Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation.