Bailey Savatgy ’25 and Max Libretti ’21 ’25g honored with leadership awards from Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Center

As LGBTQ+-identifying students at SUNY New Paltz, Bailey Savatgy ’25 (English: Creative Writing) – who uses they/them pronouns – and Max Libretti ’21 (Early Childhood: Childhood Education – Geography) ’25g (Social Justice Educational Studies) – who uses he/they pronouns – have forged their own unique paths since enrolling at the University.  

Now, awards from the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center will help them further achieve their goals.  

Savatgy and Libretti each earned the J. Tracy Hermann Scholarship for LGBTQ+ advocacy and leadership in higher education, recognizing both their academic achievements and involvement in campus life.  

Both Libretti and Savatgy are planning to use this affirming scholarship to support funding their final year in their respective programs at SUNY New Paltz. 

“It felt exciting to see there be an opportunity that I could have been afforded that scholarship for education from an organization that not only acknowledges education, but queer identity,” said Libretti. “It affirms my purpose as a student here.”  

As queer and transgender students, Bailey and Libretti found their place early on in their time at the University. 

Libretti became the vice president and later president of the New Paltz chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the Education honors society, as an undergraduate. 

“I was the only trans person on the E-Board, and that empowered me to show what a successful trans leader could look like,” he said. 

Savatgy, meanwhile, joined clubs where they found a sense of belonging after transferring to SUNY New Paltz from SUNY Ulster in 2023.  

“I’ve found a groove here with students who have similar journeys on campus,” they said.  

In their respective pursuits to be a writer and teacher, both Savatgy and Libretti aspire to serve as role models for the broader LGBTQ+ community. 

“I want to show LGBTQ+ students that you can be a leader in anything that you want to do,” said Libretti. “If I could give back to the world in some way, it would be as a support system for younger and older kids alike.”  

“The possibilities are endless for me,” said Savatgy. “As a creative writing student, I have found a niche in writing queer, sapphic stories, and I want to find different platforms to share these stories.”  

Click here to learn about the many resources and supports at SUNY New Paltz for LGBTQ+ students.