Alumni Awards
The Princeton Day School Alumni Council Awards Committee is honored to recognize outstanding, notable and accomplished alumni and friends of the School. Every spring during Alumni Weekend, we celebrate our distinguished award winners for their impressive achievements.
On May 18, 2024, we look forward to recognizing alumni with class years ending in 4s or 9s in honor of their milestone reunions. For questions about Alumni Awards, email alumni@pds.org.
Alumni Achievement Award
The Alumni Achievement Award honors alumni who have achieved excellence in their chosen field and who have made a commitment to helping others. The recipient is someone who inspires others by their achievement.
John D. Wallace ’48 Alumni Service Award
The John D. Wallace ’48 Alumni Service Award honors alumni whose service to the community and/or the school reflect the highest ideals of the school. The recipient is someone who inspires others by their example of sensitivity or generosity.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award honors alumni who have graduated within the past 15 years, who have made significant contributions to civic or professional organizations, whose life is characterized by creativity, curiosity and community service. The recipient is someone who inspires others by their accomplishments.
Athletic Hall of Fame
The Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes and honors alumni and other members of the community whose athletic accomplishments or other contributions to the athletic program have been of the highest caliber and exemplify the highest ideals of the school. Please visit the Hall of Fame page for additional information.
2023 Alumni Award Recipients
Athletic Hall of Fame: Antoine Hoppenot '08
While at PDS, Antoine Hoppenot had a season career high of 23 goals in 2007. He was a four-year varsity player, earning the Bill Smoyer Varsity Award his junior and senior years. Continuing on to Princeton University, Hoppenot tallied 26 goals and 15 assists going on to win Ivy League Player of the Year and being First-Team All-Ivy three consecutive years.
During his time at college, Hoppenot also played for USL Premier Development League Club Central Jersey Spartans between 2010 and 2011. It came as little surprise to most when Antoine Hoppenot was drafted in 2012 by the Major League Soccer team the Philadelphia Union (No. 51 overall). He has been playing professionally at the following teams: FC Cincinnati, Reno 1868 FC, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Louisville City FC, and Detroit City FC.
In December 2022, Hartford Athletic announced the club had signed USL Championship veteran Hoppenot ahead of the 2023 season. Hoppenot comes to Hartford after claiming the league’s Assists Champion award with Detroit City FC this past season (2022). Antoine is thrilled to start this new venture with Hartford Athletic and get back on the east coast. He is looking forward to continuing to excel on the field.
Alumni Achievement Award: Andrew Fishmann ’68
An outstanding example of a life-long commitment to mentorship, research, and saving lives, Dr. Andrew Fishmann, MD worked as a Pulmonologist in Los Angeles, CA with over 45 years of experience in the medical field. As a respiratory specialist, he diagnosed and treated pulmonary disorders such as asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema and bronchitis, among a host of others. As a critical care specialist, Dr. Fishmann provided life-saving care for patients in critical condition.
During COVID, Dr. Fishmann worked from his home office devoted to supporting front-liners in his 28-bed ICU and the cardiac unit, which accommodated COVID-19 patient overflow, reviewing daily charts and x-rays and consulting on patient care. He also scoured the literature on COVID-19 and the experiences of those combatting COVID-19 in foreign countries, New York hospitals and local universities. His mentorship of young physicians at Good Samaritan Hospital has added stability to the ranks in this fast-paced and demanding environment.
After graduating Franklin & Marshall College, Fishmann attended Temple University School of Medicine. Since then he has been affiliated with California Hospital Medical Center and PIH Health Good Samaritan Medical Center in Los Angeles where he has directed the ICU.
He currently lives in California and is enjoying international travel in his retirement.
John D. Wallace '48 Alumni Service Award: Helena Brett-Smith ’73
As an outspoken advocate and a leader in research and education for HIV/AIDS, Dr. Helena Brett-Smith has devoted her life to serving others through her work in hospitals, universities, and private corporations.
Dr. Brett-Smith earned her undergraduate degree from Yale University but before heading off to Stanford University School of Medicine, she took the time to travel to Mali where she worked to help improve the health of the population. She then went on to complete both a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the Yale School of Medicine.
From 1992-2000, Dr. Brett-Smith was Director of the HIV Program and the Haelen Center at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, CT. She has held leadership positions for multiple investigational agents in clinical-stage development. These projects included both small molecules and biologics, and spanned varied therapeutic areas including Virology (HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C), Immuno-Oncology and Fibrosis. She also has extensive experience with successful regulatory filings for new therapies in both the US and Europe, and with follow-on pediatric indications. She led the global lifecycle development program for BARACLUDE® which is used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS and HBV.
Currently in Connecticut, Dr. Brett-Smith works as the Chief Development Officer at Trevi Therapeutics and continues her work to find new ways to treat chronic conditions.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Hannah Epstein ’08
Hannah Epstein is an Emmy Award winning cinematographer who joined NFL films as the first female staff cinematographer in 2012. Most well-known for shooting on the NFL Films and HBO series Hard Knocks, she has also worked numerous Super Bowls.
While at Princeton Day School, Hannah Epstein was a four-year varsity starter for both women’s basketball and lacrosse. She captained both teams and was a leading scorer on the basketball court. On the lacrosse field she led the team in multiple appearances in state tournaments. After graduation, Ms. Epstein attended Middlebury College where she continued to play varsity lacrosse. She then went on to play for the 2015 Israel Women’s National Lacrosse team and coach local high school girls in the sport while with the team.
Over the years Ms. Epstein has worked with Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and US National Team soccer star Abby Wambach. She is known for her ability to tell a story through her camera. She currently lives in New Jersey but travels frequently for her work.