Graduation Testimonials

TJC’s first Harry the Hawk mascot to graduate on Saturday

Tradition dictates that a college mascot must keep his real identity a secret until graduation.

As Jordan Carnegie prepares to walk the stage during Tyler Junior College commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 16, he is proud to finally reveal to the world that he was TJC’s first-ever Harry the Hawk mascot — and he has a few thoughts to share about his time in the suit.

“First, it was a huge honor; and second, being a mascot is tough business, but the reward is amazing,” said Carnegie, a psychology major from The Colony.

Becoming Harry

Carnegie was handpicked for the role by Lauren Tyler, TJC director of student life, and Tammy Rose, TJC head cheer coach.

“I was initially on the TJC Cheer team but had left the team to focus on my studies and being an officer in Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society,” he said.

Early in 2022, he said Tyler contacted him and wanted to discuss “something important and top secret.”

He explained, “She said they were thinking about getting a mascot, and she sent me the designs for the suit. Then she said, ‘I want you to be TJC’s first mascot.’”

Tyler said, “Jordan was our pick from the start. We knew when this was happening that he had to be Harry.”

Carnegie had never been a mascot before, but he was up for the assignment.

“When you get something like this, you want to create an example for generations to follow,” he said. “If I was going to be the first Harry, I wanted to be the greatest.”

With that goal in mind, he focused all of his energy on bringing a 20-pound hawk costume to life as a symbol of TJC school spirit.

“Harry’s personality is basically an exaggerated version of my own personality,” he said. “There’s a quippy aspect. He likes to be a little jokester, and sometimes he’ll strut around.”

Harry’s true identity was a closely guarded secret.

“At first, it was just me, Lauren Tyler, the head cheer coach Tammy Rose, the assistant cheer coach at the time, and my roommate,” he said. “We kept the list relatively short. Then, I had to let my Phi Theta Kappa organization know because I had to explain why I wouldn’t be at events. There were times that I actually was at the events, but they didn’t know it because I was in the Harry suit.”

Keeping the secret was fun, but Carnegie said the physical demands of mascot training and development were more strenuous than he had expected, with lots of conditioning, carb-loading and making sure to stay hydrated. Plus, there were the bizarre moments when he found himself standing in front of a mirror, flapping his arms and practicing Harry’s walk.

“That’s insane, right?” he said. “The suit obviously limits your movement, so you have to stretch a lot because it will start to tug down when you try to lift your arms. And you have to consume a lot of carbs and water to keep your energy up and combat the sweating. I would also do breathing exercises before getting in the suit, because you hit a critical moment when you get really tired but you also have to focus and stay in character.”

Breaking character is a big no-no in mascot world, and Carnegie said he never once broke it — not even during his first performance at TJC’s 2022 Homecoming Pep Rally.

“That night at the pep rally was my first time in the suit, so there wasn’t really any practice time,” he said. “I put on the suit, folded myself down into a kind of trunk-sized box, and they rolled me out onto Pat Hartley Field for Harry’s big debut.”

At the time, he remembered trying not to think about the fact that he was a full-size guy inside a heavy costume inside a cramped space.

“I tried to just focus on my breathing and getting ready to perform,” he said.

After a few anxious moments, Carnegie said he popped out of the box, waved to the crowd, did a few cartwheels and then executed a perfect backflip.

The crowd went wild for Harry and for that backflip.

All-American Mascot status

As it turns out, mascots who can do backflips in a giant, plush costume are a rare commodity. Carnegie wasn’t aware of that until last summer, when he and the TJC Cheer team attended a college cheer camp at SMU.

“I thought it would be more common,” he said. “I met plenty of mascots, but none of them could do a backflip in the suit. That’s when I thought, ‘Maybe I’ve got something special going on here.’ You’re constantly being evaluated by judges during your stay at the camp. They’re watching for things like: How does the mascot appeal to the crowd? How often is the mascot moving around, and is he active? Is the mascot creative? Is he energetic?”

Thanks to Carnegie’s acrobatic feats, personality and high energy, Harry the Hawk came home from his first cheer camp with the title of All-American Mascot.

“From the get-go, I was set on getting Harry this status, especially as a new mascot,” he said. “I want Harry to be up there with those flagship mascots like Raider Red at Texas Tech and Scrappy the Eagle at the University of North Texas (UNT).”

Life after Harry

After graduation, Carnegie plans to transfer to UNT and continue majoring in psychology, with eventual plans to start a consulting firm and create a social media outlet for the latest findings in psychology.

Asked if he might someday try out to be UNT’s mascot, Carnegie chuckles, “Well, if Scrappy the Eagle starts doing backflips, I guess you’ll know.”

Tyler said, “Jordan’s energy and excitement for TJC and the game day experience was like no one else we had seen before. He was made to do this, and I look forward to seeing where he goes next. He’s leaving big shoes to fill here, literally.”

Carnegie is reflective about his time at TJC and leaving Harry the Hawk behind.

“I think TJC is amazing,” he said. “I think what they offer is great. TJC has given me such an amazing experience. Because of that, I’ve dedicated myself to giving an amazing experience to the TJC community for generations to come. I never thought I would have school spirit like this, but I came to TJC and now look at me. I helped to create a TJC tradition that will last a long time, and now Harry the Hawk can carry on in TJC history even when I’m gone.

“I’m proud that I could be the one to usher in the era of Harry the Hawk.”