Meet Javy Perez, Class of 2015

Friday, May 8, 2015

Javy Perez
Recreation and Sports Business major
Northlake, Illinois

Javy PerezYou see Herky the Hawk high-five fans at football games, hug kids at Dance Marathon, and be the animated mascot that he is at almost every University of Iowa event. But who is behind that costume? Javy Perez. Perez, a Recreation & Sports Business major in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, spent most of his time at the UI as the Hawkeyes’ most famous spirit leader: Herky. When he wasn’t playing the role, Perez was involved in the Center for Diversity and Enrichment and Dance Marathon.

How did the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences shape your college experience?

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences helped me out because I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my career at all. I actually applied to Iowa as an art major in graphic design, switched over to business. Then someone came up to me and said, hey you like sports, you like business, there’s a new major in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and I said, I’m on board. The same people who recruited me have been with me through this whole time.

What was your best moment here?

My best moment here at Iowa was my first Dance Marathon as Herky. Seeing the kids come across the stage and high-fiving them was great. I remember in particular, this one girl could barely walk up the stairs. Her parents had to carry her. So I get down on a knee to give her a hug, and she starts crying, runs into my arms, and then I started crying, and we’re both crying, and her parents started crying. It’s just one of those moments you’re never going to forget.

What was it like to be Herky?

Being Herky is a very unique experience. Only a handful of people get to do it, which is a big privilege and honor to represent the university, not only on campus, but on a more national level.

Why are you glad you came to Iowa?

I’m glad I came to Iowa because it gave me the opportunity that other schools may have not provided… Two weeks into my freshman year, I got a call from the financial aid office and they said that I qualified for a scholarship that will be paying for half my school and my books for the next four years. I remember calling my mom, she was crying, and we were both in tears over it. So that helped me out with college.

—Interview by Nora Heaton (BA 2013) and Dora Grote (Class of 2015); photo by Jill Tobin

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.