Shaun Sperling, 27, was raised in Buffalo Grove. He attended Stevenson High School where he started the Midwest’s first GLBT student support group, Project 10 Midwest. A graduate of Bradley University, Shaun was an active member of the gay-straight alliance, Common Ground. Shaun was a theater major, having acted in, directed and stage-managed numerous productions. He is proudest of directing Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues as part of the V-Day campaign to end violence against women. He also helped start an annual drag show to benefit Peoria’s chapter of Friends of People Living with AIDS. He was honored for his work in the Bradley community by giving the commencement speech at Bradley’s 2002 graduation ceremony.
For the past three years, Shaun has worked for The AIDS Marathon Training Program in both Chicago and San Francisco, and he is currently the associate program director. He is on the junior board of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Shaun will be starting law school at John Marshall in January, with hopes to continue working to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
DID YOU KNOW? Shaun can be seen in the hit book Bar Mitzvah Disco, pp. 160-161, where he was presented for his Madonna-themed bar mitzvah. He was also crowned Mr. Stevenson High School of 1997. In addition, Shaun, an avid runner and marathoner himself, just completed his fifth marathon in San Diego—all while wearing a pink tutu.