Speaker 1: Congratulations, you've been accepted into the inaugural class of Therapy
Speaker 1: for Black Girls University. Whether packing for a new year
Speaker 1: on campus, thinking through your gap year, enrolling in a
Speaker 1: community college, or grabbing your souls for graduation, tbgu is
Speaker 1: here to help you thrive at this stage of your
Speaker 1: life and beyond. If you're as chronically online as I am,
Speaker 1: you may recall a viral video from twenty twenty two
Speaker 1: of USC's first ever major at dance team, the Cardinal Divas.
Speaker 1: Leading this groundbreaking team is Princess. Isis Ze Lang, a
Speaker 1: senior musical theater major at the University of Southern California,
Speaker 1: a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sort Incorporated, and
Speaker 1: my guest for today's episode. In our conversation and Princess
Speaker 1: and I discussed the inspiration behind the founding of the
Speaker 1: Cardinal Divas, how Princess manages a work life balance as
Speaker 1: a student leader, and the importance of creating a space
Speaker 1: for black students out a PWI. Here's our conversation. Hi Princess,
Speaker 1: how are you.
Speaker 2: I'm good?
Speaker 1: How are you I'm doing well? Thank you so much
Speaker 1: for being here. I'm so excited to talk with you.
Speaker 2: Thank you for having me. I'm very excited to be here.
Speaker 1: Lovely. Well, our listeners may recall your viral founding of
Speaker 1: USC's first ever major rite dance team, the Cardinal Divas.
Speaker 1: Let's start from the very beginning. When did you first
Speaker 1: fall in love with dance?
Speaker 2: When did I first fall in love with dance? It
Speaker 2: had to be when I was basically like two. I
Speaker 2: started with tumbling in gymnastics, and I was dancing when
Speaker 2: I wasn't tumbling, and my coaches they told my mom
Speaker 2: and dad, they were like, y'all should get her some
Speaker 2: dance classes too, because she's always dancing around somewhere. So
Speaker 2: that's basically where it all began.
Speaker 1: Lovely, that's so cute. Talk to us about the creation
Speaker 1: of the Cardinal Divas. What's the origin story there, Why
Speaker 1: did you decide to create it when you did, and
Speaker 1: what told you that you needed to do it.
Speaker 2: So I've been doing majorttes since about second or third
Speaker 2: grade and being able to progress with that and also
Speaker 2: go into high school still doing it. I knew that
Speaker 2: I most likely wasn't going to go to an HBCU
Speaker 2: just because they don't have my major, and so I
Speaker 2: was like, Okay, I don't want to stop doing major
Speaker 2: att so let's see what USC has to offer. And
Speaker 2: of course they didn't have a major AT team, but
Speaker 2: they had all these different spirit teams. But I was
Speaker 2: realizing that I didn't see myself in any of those teens.
Speaker 2: Whether that's how I look, how I talk, how I dance,
Speaker 2: how were my hair, nothing would be befitting to who
Speaker 2: I was as princess. And this is all during COVID too,
Speaker 2: So this is after we got into the school and
Speaker 2: basically like it's time to start and this was my
Speaker 2: way to get back into athletics again. And while I
Speaker 2: was looking, I was like, I don't want to come
Speaker 2: to whatever they're gonna make me do just to say
Speaker 2: I'm dancing. And so I was talking to my mom
Speaker 2: and I was like, hmm, I know I haven't even
Speaker 2: been on campus yet, but like, I want to make
Speaker 2: a major ad team. But girl relaxed, you know, like
Speaker 2: who do you think you are? And my mom was like, girl,
Speaker 2: you gotta make that team if that's what you want
Speaker 2: to do, and that's what I do.
Speaker 1: I love that. And shout out to your mom for
Speaker 1: pushing you and you trusting your gut in college. That's
Speaker 1: a bit finicky sometimes just with everything going on. So
Speaker 1: I'm so happy to hear that. I would love to
Speaker 1: hear more about you as a student. Can you tell
Speaker 1: us your major, your year and all that jazz?
Speaker 2: So I am a senior now majoring in musical theater
Speaker 2: with the BFA program, So I sing, dance, and act
Speaker 2: every single day.
Speaker 1: Perfect For some of our listeners who aren't familiar with
Speaker 1: major AT style dance, can you describe what it is?
Speaker 2: Yeah, So basically major At style of dance. It comes
Speaker 2: from the jazz style of dance, but it's also originated
Speaker 2: in African roots, and that's also where jazz is originated from.
Speaker 2: And being able to add our original jazz committed to
Speaker 2: also adding in ballet and adding in all these different styles,
Speaker 2: combining them together. But the only difference with major is
Speaker 2: you're using your soul. It's about your body and you're
Speaker 2: living in your body or letting other people live through
Speaker 2: your body when you're dancing. And I feel like this
Speaker 2: is the only dance form where people get to really
Speaker 2: feel something and they get to see your soul while dancing.
Speaker 2: And it's just something that's basically incomparable to any other style.
Speaker 1: I would totally agree what makes a major at team
Speaker 1: different from other dance teams that perform at college sport games.
Speaker 2: So they'll be like a poms team or a spirit
Speaker 2: team or just cheerleaders in general, and they're they're there
Speaker 2: to hit their five, sit, seven, eight, you know, clean quick,
Speaker 2: small things like that. Palm teams, they add hip hop
Speaker 2: styles and some kinds of new jazz styles as well,
Speaker 2: and then I would say Major is basically like the
Speaker 2: complete opposite. There's different styles of eight counts and sixteen counts.
Speaker 2: And we're moving slow, we're moving fast. We're using our body,
Speaker 2: not just our arms and our legs. We're using our necks,
Speaker 2: our fingertips, our toes are fighed, everything is getting used
Speaker 2: every second of that dance, and I just feel like
Speaker 2: we're I catching and it's just like, oh my gosh,
Speaker 2: how are they moving their bodies like that? I am mesmerized,
Speaker 2: and I feel like that's what mador is mesmerized.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Like when I watch any video, any clip, I
Speaker 1: am stuck on the whole performance until the last count
Speaker 1: and I'm just like, Okay, that was perfect, that was it,
Speaker 1: and that was that. Since creating a team, Can you
Speaker 1: tell us about a moment that truly affirmed for you
Speaker 1: that you made the right choice in founding it?
Speaker 2: Okay, So when everything hid blew up, first of all,
Speaker 2: that was not the plan. That's not what I had
Speaker 2: in mind at and being able to get the positivity,
Speaker 2: but of course with positivity comes negativity. But there were
Speaker 2: people that were reaching out to me and they were
Speaker 2: like fans, and I was like fans, me, like what.
Speaker 2: It was just so crazy and having girls say like
Speaker 2: you're so inspiring I feel seen now in my community
Speaker 2: and you make me want to do this now, can
Speaker 2: you help me and guide me on this journey because
Speaker 2: I want to be able to do the same thing
Speaker 2: for my school too, And so that's when I was like,
Speaker 2: oh my gosh, this is what I wanted to do.
Speaker 2: I wanted to put major in on a bigger platform
Speaker 2: than what it's already on, and I felt like I
Speaker 2: got the opportunity to do that and letting other students
Speaker 2: realize that there is an outlet for them, that it's
Speaker 2: created by them and created for them, and it's just like, oh,
Speaker 2: it's so satisfying to have people believe in themselves again
Speaker 2: and get inSpot through dance, because that's really all we
Speaker 2: do it for, you know, and so it's really nice
Speaker 2: to being able to help other people see themselves where
Speaker 2: they are.
Speaker 1: So essentially you became a mentor in this space to
Speaker 1: other young women that are inspired by the work you do.
Speaker 2: I guess so I've never really even thought of it
Speaker 2: like that, but yeah.
Speaker 1: We'll shout out to you. So September seventeenth, twenty twenty
Speaker 1: two is a significant date for the Cardinal Divas because
Speaker 1: it marks the first time you all performed at a
Speaker 1: USC game. Can you recall how you felt at that moment?
Speaker 1: What was the reaction you received from the students.
Speaker 2: Okay, I'm gonna give a little backstory. I was finessing
Speaker 2: at this point. Okay, you did not have seats. It
Speaker 2: was all a dream. Okay. I was like, I work
Speaker 2: with athletics and I also work with students governments, So
Speaker 2: I'm gonna just work a little something. See how many
Speaker 2: seats did you get? And when we did that and
Speaker 2: we started dancing, everybody was like, who are danced? What
Speaker 2: is this? What is going on?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 2: Who are y'all? And everybody was just so excited and
Speaker 2: they were like, oh my god, what are y'all doing?
Speaker 2: Like where has this been all of the time? Like
Speaker 2: we need this, and so it was just really heartwarming
Speaker 2: to see people that literally have never seen this or
Speaker 2: heard of it being so supportive already, because honestly, I
Speaker 2: was preparing for the worst and I was like, Okay,
Speaker 2: these fans, they might hate it, the students might hate it.
Speaker 2: I don't know, but we're here to do it, and
Speaker 2: so we're gonna have fun doing it. And it honestly
Speaker 2: made it even better that they loved it so much
Speaker 2: and they were like, oh my gosh, this is amazing,
Speaker 2: Like I'm so excited for y'all, And it was just
Speaker 2: a great experience and a great energy to have around.
Speaker 2: Literally the best day ever.
Speaker 1: What do you think the team met For other black
Speaker 1: women on campus?
Speaker 2: It definitely meant that they are now seen and they
Speaker 2: have a community, even whether or not they feel like
Speaker 2: they're a part of it or not. At a PWI
Speaker 2: and it's a large school, it's hard for us to
Speaker 2: feel seen, have our voices heard, and find a community
Speaker 2: where it's us And this was just yet another way
Speaker 2: for us to keep being black in every single space
Speaker 2: that we entered. Because just because I go to a
Speaker 2: PWI does not mean I get to turn off my
Speaker 2: black switch. Doesn't work like that. And being able to
Speaker 2: create opportunities for us and create these spaces and uplifting
Speaker 2: our own voices and uplifting our creativity. It was just
Speaker 2: a great way for them to feel like they are
Speaker 2: a part of it. Even if they're not dancing, they
Speaker 2: feel like, it feels so good to see some black
Speaker 2: girls dancing out there, because Laura knows you don't really
Speaker 2: get to see it that often. So it was a
Speaker 2: great space for all black girls to come together, really
Speaker 2: all black people really.
Speaker 1: I'll say for me, it was during my senior year
Speaker 1: and I also went to a PWI UNC Chapel Hill,
Speaker 1: and so when I saw the Cardinal Divas on Twitter,
Speaker 1: I was like, oh wait, hold on, like hold on,
Speaker 1: this is that And just seeing the joy on all
Speaker 1: of your faces and me just being able to relate
Speaker 1: to being a black woman at a PWI and just
Speaker 1: knowing I can't even imagine what it took to get
Speaker 1: that figured out, and then you being radically visible in
Speaker 1: your blackness and your experience. It was just beautiful. I
Speaker 1: was in awe. And so it went from Southern California
Speaker 1: all the way to North Carolina. Like you hit all
Speaker 1: the black women, so it hit me as well.
Speaker 2: I'm happy that we got to do that.
Speaker 1: I am too, for real and it's inspiring just to
Speaker 1: see it. So outside of the Cardinal Divas, can you
Speaker 1: name some other major AT teams who you love?
Speaker 2: Yes? So, growing up, my personal favorite teams were Southern University,
Speaker 2: the Stingats Alabama, and also we duh had to of
Speaker 2: course have Jackson State. It was always those three teams
Speaker 2: that I will always admire and watch videos growing up.
Speaker 2: And what's funny is when I went to high school
Speaker 2: and I joined another music team and another dance team,
Speaker 2: one of the captains was also a sting Get and
Speaker 2: so it was just amazing to have that and then
Speaker 2: keep on going. And we had all kinds of dancers
Speaker 2: on our team, and so having them come back and
Speaker 2: influence us and inspire us and push us, it was
Speaker 2: just a great way to continue what this is now.
Speaker 2: And even like growing up now being twenty one years
Speaker 2: old and being a senior and being able to watch
Speaker 2: other dancers like Texas Southern, like they are amazing their uniforms,
Speaker 2: the unity, it's always a hit like I'm even friends
Speaker 2: with one of them on the team right now, and
Speaker 2: so it's just like, I just love watching y'all dance.
Speaker 1: I love that, and I love that there are other
Speaker 1: people that inspire you and inspire the work you do,
Speaker 1: because we're all, at the end of the day getting
Speaker 1: inspiration with our creativity from other people. So I love that.
Speaker 1: When I was at UNC, I was an executive team
Speaker 1: member of the Black Student Movement, and I know how
Speaker 1: hard it is to find harmony with life assignments socializing.
Speaker 1: So tell me what has been the biggest challenge about
Speaker 1: being a student leader. How have you worked through this
Speaker 1: that has.
Speaker 2: Been extremely hard? Okay, I'll say I'm very busy, but
Speaker 2: I also don't want it to be like I'm not productive,
Speaker 2: So I'm very busy and very productive at the same time.
Speaker 2: And last year it was literally a whorldwind like I
Speaker 2: would not suggest other people do this, but I would
Speaker 2: have a two show day and a game day within that,
Speaker 2: so I would have a show early, i would run
Speaker 2: to the stadium to do the game, and then I'll
Speaker 2: run back to the theater to do our second show.
Speaker 2: And it was just like, Wow, Princess, why are you
Speaker 2: living like this, But when you're committed and you're dedicated
Speaker 2: and you love what you do, it's like, uh, it
Speaker 2: makes you feel good. And I can say like, it's
Speaker 2: definitely hard being able to make time for certain things
Speaker 2: and make time for relationships that I'm in and being
Speaker 2: able to be like, Okay, I'm twenty one years old now,
Speaker 2: and I have to realize I have to have these
Speaker 2: sections dedicated to everything, and the people that are around
Speaker 2: me also have to understand that I am very involved
Speaker 2: and it's just what I am who I am, and
Speaker 2: I feel like it's been hard, but it's also like
Speaker 2: having the right people around you makes it a little
Speaker 2: less harder. They give you the space to be like
Speaker 2: I understand, like you just had rehearsal and now you're
Speaker 2: going to practice. I get it. You can't hang out
Speaker 2: or if a relationship is like, oh well I need
Speaker 2: to see you and we can do this on this weekend,
Speaker 2: you have a free day, whatever that case makes. And
Speaker 2: I just feel like the people that have been surrounding
Speaker 2: me and loving on me have made it easier for
Speaker 2: me with the hecticness of my schedule.
Speaker 3: Hi, I'm sorry, Taylor, and I'm the TBG podcast production intern.
Speaker 3: We'll return to Jana right after the break.
Speaker 1: I'm curious, what have you learned about yourself during this journey.
Speaker 2: I have learned that I've always been a leader in
Speaker 2: a way, and I'm also a member of Delta Sigma,
Speaker 2: thet that's already incorporated, and so not only having that
Speaker 2: allow me to become this great woman and supporting the
Speaker 2: people that are around me, but then having each of
Speaker 2: these teams that I'm a part of also give me
Speaker 2: the step in store to do that. It was just like, wow, Princess,
Speaker 2: like you're really grown, and it's just amazing to see
Speaker 2: like the work ethic that I have and being able
Speaker 2: to say, like, I don't have time for this, but
Speaker 2: I'm still going to figure out a way to make
Speaker 2: sure that it gets done in a timely manner and
Speaker 2: in a way where I am still proud of it.
Speaker 2: And I've also learned that I'm not perfect and everything
Speaker 2: is always going to work out and that's also okay.
Speaker 2: And it's like you have to be okay with whatever
Speaker 2: the plan is. If I say I have a plan,
Speaker 2: God is gonna laugh at me. So I just have
Speaker 2: to follow along, okay. And I feel like I've really
Speaker 2: been able to just step back be a leader but
Speaker 2: also follow as well, And I feel like you have
Speaker 2: to be able to do both in order to be
Speaker 2: a good leader and have people that respect you and
Speaker 2: understand you and want to work with you. Yeah, And
Speaker 2: I just feel like it's been a whole lot of
Speaker 2: growth in that area, and also just as a as
Speaker 2: a young lady, like it's hard, but it's like you
Speaker 2: can do.
Speaker 1: This, okay. So I really love that you brought up
Speaker 1: this point of being flexible with the plans that you
Speaker 1: say that you have. I feel like in college, planning
Speaker 1: is important, but also planning can get a little bit
Speaker 1: toxic at times because not only are you planning for
Speaker 1: the unknown, but sometimes you're planning with the ideas of
Speaker 1: others around you, your family, and so it's just important
Speaker 1: to just I really like that you said, like, take
Speaker 1: a step back and recognize that sometimes it's above you
Speaker 1: and whatever you're doing, you're gonna have to trust in
Speaker 1: the process that I'm doing the best I can with
Speaker 1: the knowledge that I have, and not putting so much
Speaker 1: pressure on yourself to have all the answers. I feel
Speaker 1: like that is the biggest point of advice for anyone
Speaker 1: in school, out of school, just in that age range.
Speaker 1: So I really love that she said that. I'm curious
Speaker 1: to know about balance with you, though, So balancing the
Speaker 1: demands of being a student, a leader, and potentially other
Speaker 1: roles within the organization can be challenging. And I know
Speaker 1: the impact of burnout is incredibly real on college campuses.
Speaker 1: So how do you like to take care of yourself?
Speaker 2: Honestly?
Speaker 1: I eat.
Speaker 2: I am a big foodie. I love food, and I'm
Speaker 2: just like, you know what, I'm gonna take myself out
Speaker 2: because I deserve it. And it's not something super big,
Speaker 2: but it makes me feel like I'm a human because
Speaker 2: I get tired, I'm exhausted. I always have a lot
Speaker 2: of work to do, whether that school work, team work,
Speaker 2: other and I'm just like, good God, I just need
Speaker 2: a good meal in me. And that's what I do.
Speaker 2: And also I lay down. If I just want to
Speaker 2: lay down, I'm gonna lay down and I'll feel bad
Speaker 2: about it later, but I feel good about it right
Speaker 2: now because I deserve. I feel like we have to
Speaker 2: be able to really know what's best for ourselves. And
Speaker 2: I've really learned that throughout college years and when professors,
Speaker 2: for example, they want to take advantage of your time. No,
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, but the answer is no. So the answer
Speaker 2: no has become quite quite relevant in my vocabulary, and
Speaker 2: I feel like that's good because you want to set
Speaker 2: boundaries for people and for yourself, and especially in times
Speaker 2: like these where you have a lot going on. And
Speaker 2: I feel like I've really been able to do that
Speaker 2: and it's been helping me stay healthy.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. No is a complete sentence every time, every time,
Speaker 1: no question, literally, no comments, So really quick for our
Speaker 1: la girlies, our foodies. What food spots does, princess isis
Speaker 1: slang recommend So.
Speaker 2: All my LA girlies don't get on me. Don't get
Speaker 2: on but I'm from Chicago, so y'all, food really don't
Speaker 2: be hitting on nothing for real. I'm sorry, but what
Speaker 2: I can say is places like Duelings. It's a soulful place.
Speaker 2: They have their good days. They also have like their
Speaker 2: kind of off days. But I get oxtail and emails
Speaker 2: off the bone like it's just so good, y'all. Need
Speaker 2: you put some hot sauce on the cabbage? Oh? Yes,
Speaker 2: what else?
Speaker 1: Oh?
Speaker 2: There was this new jerk place I just went to.
Speaker 2: I don't even remember, but it's like right downtown. If
Speaker 2: I had the name, I was so give it to y'all.
Speaker 2: I'm not a gamekeeper, I promise. Also on TikTok, I
Speaker 2: heard Jazzy's kitchen is really good. Now I haven't tried it,
Speaker 2: so if it's nasty, I did not tell you to
Speaker 2: get it, but I want to try it myself, and
Speaker 2: when I do, I can be like, oh, yeah, it's good. Job,
Speaker 2: y'all can go.
Speaker 1: You know right, we'll come back. We'll circle back to
Speaker 1: see like if it was gooder, but if it wasn't
Speaker 1: good exactly how do you maintain a good school slash
Speaker 1: life balance.
Speaker 2: I'm laughing because I'm still figuring it out. I've been
Speaker 2: trying and trying to get it in right. But let's
Speaker 2: just go through it, Okay. So I wake up in
Speaker 2: the morning, I have classes nine A HIM, I'm done
Speaker 2: at five p. Six PM. I have rehearsal for my
Speaker 2: major six to ten, and then usually ten PM I
Speaker 2: have practice with the team. Now you may ask me, girl,
Speaker 2: when you have time to do anything, go to bed, eat, live, listen.
Speaker 2: It works out. Sometimes class might get canceled. I'll say, hey,
Speaker 2: you want to go hang out, let's do something or
Speaker 2: I'll be like, no, I want to stay in my bed.
Speaker 2: I want to watch TV. I want to watch Ugly Betty,
Speaker 2: and I want to be to myself and I want
Speaker 2: to eat a good meal. So I try. It is
Speaker 2: hard with the restraints that I am basically in with
Speaker 2: my class schedules and stuff. But I feel like the
Speaker 2: people around me they understand. And Sundays that's really a
Speaker 2: good day for me. Like we can get a Sunday in.
Speaker 2: So I feel like the people they know what's going on.
Speaker 2: So maybe I'll go to a party every blue moon,
Speaker 2: you know, if I'm feeling up to them. Game days
Speaker 2: be kind of late. But I try. Okay, I try,
Speaker 2: That's all I can say. I do try.
Speaker 1: And that's the biggest thing I think balance is. It's
Speaker 1: not that it's not real in college, but I just
Speaker 1: feel like everyone's figuring it out for themselves, and so
Speaker 1: I'm just proud of be for figuring it out. I
Speaker 1: feel like figuring it out is a good enough answer,
Speaker 1: and it works for you. And so if that's where
Speaker 1: you are, that's where you are, and you make do
Speaker 1: what you have. So looking forward, what are your hopes
Speaker 1: and dreams for the Cardinal Divas.
Speaker 2: Definitely, the main goal for the team is to be
Speaker 2: officially affiliated with USC and Athletics and being able to
Speaker 2: be a spirit team just as well as the others.
Speaker 2: And that comes along with a lot of perts. And
Speaker 2: that's just like we get to go to away games,
Speaker 2: we get to be on the field, we get to
Speaker 2: do a halftime performance, we get to have that same
Speaker 2: respect and get those same support systems and resources that
Speaker 2: other people get, like a space to even practice for
Speaker 2: practicing at my apartment. So it's just small things like
Speaker 2: that really matter, and I'm still fighting for it and
Speaker 2: I'm still trying to make sure that we get that
Speaker 2: because we do deserve it. And that's really just my
Speaker 2: main goal. I just want the team to be respected
Speaker 2: as a team and to have the same resources that everybody.
Speaker 1: Else has as they should.
Speaker 3: Hi, I'm sorry, Taylor, and I'm the TBG podcast production.
Speaker 3: In turn, we'll return to Jana right after the break.
Speaker 1: I'm curious what have been some of the pitfalls during
Speaker 1: your time as a leader with the Cardinal Davis.
Speaker 2: I'll definitely say it was hard coming back this semester
Speaker 2: this school year, really because it was the new season
Speaker 2: and there was so much negativity, and I know that
Speaker 2: people are gonna be watching like hawks now and it's
Speaker 2: just like, y'all have to be perfect. Y'all have to
Speaker 2: make sure you know what you're doing. And so we
Speaker 2: had food camp and we were literally pushing ourselves every
Speaker 2: single day, and even for the vets, it was hard
Speaker 2: and it was a lot of pressure on us, and
Speaker 2: I feel like that also could be a pitfall. You
Speaker 2: can put pressure on yourselves to push yourselves, but you
Speaker 2: also want to know when it's enough. And I want
Speaker 2: to make sure that we can mesh well, not just dancing,
Speaker 2: but as a team, as a cohort, and being able
Speaker 2: to find those times where we can just hang out
Speaker 2: and just get to know each other. I feel like
Speaker 2: that's just really important for us and still to right now.
Speaker 2: We still want to keep doing that and keep learning
Speaker 2: about each other because that doesn't just mean, oh, we
Speaker 2: just want to have fun, but it also it makes
Speaker 2: you mesh on the dance floor better. And so it's
Speaker 2: just small things like that. I want to make sure
Speaker 2: that I can remember and make sure that I apply
Speaker 2: for the next people and the next people in the
Speaker 2: next people.
Speaker 1: Gotcha. I know you're currently a Senior. How are your
Speaker 1: feelings about leaving your legacy at USC soon.
Speaker 2: It's like scary because it's my little baby. I don't
Speaker 2: want to leave, but I'm not gonna just separate myself
Speaker 2: completely because I am the creator. So I feel like
Speaker 2: I am obligated to make sure I still support this
Speaker 2: team in any way possible that I can, whether I'm
Speaker 2: in LA or not. And so I feel like I
Speaker 2: just have to make sure that I'm still available to them,
Speaker 2: whether I'm a student or not. And that's just really
Speaker 2: important to me. And I've really been thinking about it
Speaker 2: a lot lately because it's like, huh, this season is
Speaker 2: almost over itself, so who's going to be the new
Speaker 2: captain and who's going to be the new manager and
Speaker 2: it's just all these things, and it's just like, oh,
Speaker 2: I'm scared, like I don't want to let go. But
Speaker 2: also I have to be able to gain trust in
Speaker 2: these new girls that are here now and the girls
Speaker 2: that are coming after us, and I make sure that
Speaker 2: they understand the legacy that I am leaving here so
Speaker 2: they can be able to uphold it even if I'm
Speaker 2: not there, and so they can be able to give
Speaker 2: it to the new girls after them that are coming,
Speaker 2: and it's just being able to tell each other what
Speaker 2: the meaning of this is and why it's so important
Speaker 2: and why we want to keep it going and why
Speaker 2: it deserves a place here. And I just feel like
Speaker 2: as long as we keep that momentum and that determination
Speaker 2: with everybody that's coming into this team, and it's going
Speaker 2: to withhold the legacy that I drink to have.
Speaker 1: So I know seniors dread this question, but what are
Speaker 1: the next steps for the ORG once you graduate?
Speaker 2: So once I graduate, hopefully in Jesus' name, we do
Speaker 2: pray we will be a USC athletic team. And I've
Speaker 2: already been telling like people that have graduated from the team,
Speaker 2: when we get that first field show, I want every
Speaker 2: single dancer out there, whether you are a graduate or not,
Speaker 2: everybody deserves to live in this moment. And so that's
Speaker 2: just really what I want asap. Of course I want
Speaker 2: it before I leave, but I understand if it doesn't happen,
Speaker 2: so as long as that's still a goal not just
Speaker 2: for me, but for everybody, and I just having that
Speaker 2: in the back of your head, it's just like, Okay,
Speaker 2: we're doing this for a reason. All of these opportunities
Speaker 2: that we keep getting. Wow, we're not really giving them
Speaker 2: that much support right now, but all these other places
Speaker 2: are in love with them and they want them everywhere,
Speaker 2: So we should be realizing what we have in front
Speaker 2: of us.
Speaker 1: What words about information do you have for others out
Speaker 1: there who want to start a community or a club
Speaker 1: on campus that represents who they are, their background, or
Speaker 1: their passions.
Speaker 2: I would definitely say keep being yourself because changing for
Speaker 2: other people is never going to benefit you in the end.
Speaker 2: So if you have a dream and aspiration, then it's
Speaker 2: best to go with that, and whoever is supporting you
Speaker 2: is meant to be with you along with the journey,
Speaker 2: and whoever's not it's meant to be left right where
Speaker 2: they're at. Okay, take advantage of everything that is given
Speaker 2: to you and run with it. It doesn't matter how old
Speaker 2: you are, what you look like, whether you're a man
Speaker 2: a woman. You deserve the space that you want to have,
Speaker 2: So keep creating that space and make space where you
Speaker 2: think there is no space.
Speaker 1: I love that and that's going to stick with me,
Speaker 1: Like in my Postcrid journey, but like that is so
Speaker 1: important can be put into any avenue of someone's life.
Speaker 1: That's beautiful. What do you see for yourself post your
Speaker 1: undergraduate career post undergrad?
Speaker 2: Oh, that's that question of y'all hate. Honestly, I don't
Speaker 2: really know anymore. I've just been like, I'm just living
Speaker 2: in the life right now.
Speaker 1: Light God to die.
Speaker 2: But it's like, girl, let's get them real. So let's
Speaker 2: figure it out. And I don't know where I'm gonna be.
Speaker 2: I am willing to go wherever I need to go
Speaker 2: in order for my success to take off in the
Speaker 2: aspects that I wanted to And as long as I
Speaker 2: get to keep telling black stories, then I'm gonna be
Speaker 2: happy wherever I'm at, and whether that's on TV and
Speaker 2: film or on a stage, whatever the case may be,
Speaker 2: as long as I get to keep doing what I've
Speaker 2: always been inspired to do.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I feel like I see a lot of
Speaker 1: myself in that answer. And I want to affirm you, like,
Speaker 1: it's okay if you don't know. It's okay if you
Speaker 1: don't know. It's a lot of seniors out there. It's
Speaker 1: actually great that you don't know. I feel like it's
Speaker 1: just wild sometimes that pressure to know, like, yeah, you're
Speaker 1: twenty one, we're twenty two, like, why would we know?
Speaker 2: So?
Speaker 1: I support you?
Speaker 2: Thank you?
Speaker 1: Can you share the ways we can get connected with
Speaker 1: the Cardinal Divas of SC.
Speaker 2: So we have an Instagram at Cardinal Divas of SC.
Speaker 2: We also just created a YouTube channel as well, and
Speaker 2: it's basically just blogging our game days and what that's
Speaker 2: like and hearing what the people want to see, so
Speaker 2: we can get that. And honestly, you can tweet about us,
Speaker 2: Instagram about us, snapchat about us. We'll see it. And
Speaker 2: we're gonna appreciate all the support, whether it's from La
Speaker 2: New York, Miami, whatever the case may be. We're always
Speaker 2: so appreciative of everybody that has not just come before us,
Speaker 2: but everybody that has now joined the journey and is
Speaker 2: supportive of the journey.
Speaker 1: And where can we keep up with you? What are
Speaker 1: your social media handles and website?
Speaker 2: On my socials Instagram, Twitter are at Princess Lang, P
Speaker 2: R I N T E, S S L A and
Speaker 2: G zero. That's me. Yeah, I always DM me if
Speaker 2: you want.
Speaker 1: I look forward to seeing more from the Cardinal Divas
Speaker 1: and you soon. Thank you so much Princess for talking
Speaker 1: with me today.
Speaker 2: Of course, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1: I want to thank Princess once again for joining us
Speaker 1: for this episode. Classes over for now, but before we dismiss,
Speaker 1: take the following notes from my conversation with Princess Home
Speaker 1: with you. There is a place for me to feel safe, accepted,
Speaker 1: and seen on my campus, even if I have to
Speaker 1: create it myself. I can manage everything on my plate
Speaker 1: while still making time for self care. I have the
Speaker 1: ability to grow my student organization as far as I
Speaker 1: want it to go. To learn more about the work
Speaker 1: Princesses doing or to do more research on this topic,
Speaker 1: be sure to visit Therapy for Blackgirls dot com, slash
Speaker 1: tvgu This episode was produced by Frida Lucas, Elise Ellis,
Speaker 1: and Zaria Taylor. Editing is by Dennison L. Bradford