Growing up in Lake Zurich, Illinois, I genuinely had no idea what the University of Iowa would eventually mean to me one day.
Raised by parents who taught principles of working hard, building character, making good choices, and that success in life would have to be earned, the University of Iowa was the perfect fit when selecting a university.
Not a day goes by that I haven’t felt extremely grateful for the University of Iowa and the people there who helped along the way. Whether it was the experience gained working with a great staff as the Sports Director at KRUI, the encouragement of professors and faculty in the Communication Studies and Health & Sports Studies departments, or the strong work ethic instilled by the people of Iowa, there were always valuable lessons to be learned.
Those lessons learned at Iowa – in and out of the classroom – helped build the groundwork to land a dream job at ESPN months after graduation. Six years later, I left ESPN to take a job at Big Ten Network, another place Iowa couldn’t have done a better job preparing me for.
Over the past few years, I have been lucky enough to serve on the University of Iowa Sport and Recreation Management Advisory Board with a spectacular group of people and it has been a remarkably rewarding experience.
We have one of the best programs in the country. In the SRM faculty, we have the type of educators that students come to the University of Iowa specifically to learn from, similar to the way a student athlete commits to a coach and their staff to come play for. So, when asked “Why I Give?” the answer is everything above. This is a program to believe in. As advisory board members, it is so refreshing we can believe in both the students and their academic leaders. We are on rock-solid ground here with a UISRM program that is building in one direction, and that one direction is up.
So, about 15 years after enrolling as a freshman, the University of Iowa means the world to me. The University of Iowa is a second home, an extra family in the form of lifelong friends, a sense of belonging, a place to give back to, a foundation for careers, and, maybe most importantly, a launchpad for promising current and future generations to build on tremendous Hawkeye legacies.
Jordan Loperena
University of Iowa, Class of 2010 // BA: Communication Studies, Health & Sports Studies
It is easy to give to the UISRM program. Any amount is greatly appreciated and will go directly to supporting the unique, experience-based education the UISRM program provides its students.