Claudia Jordan, Nick Young, Angela “Blac Chyna” White, Tamar Braxton, Karlous Miller and Saucy Santana completed their run at Xavier University on “College Hill Celebrity Edition Season 3.” Saucy Santana didn’t complete his certificate. Still, he showed up to graduation to show love to his roommates. Blac Chyna earned salutatorian, and Claudia Jordan came out on top as valedictorian. They were only there for a month to earn a certificate, so life must go on, but the experience was not without some lessons learned. BET caught up with Claudia Jordan to chat about her time on the show, and what’s next for her career in media, as an actress, producer, and more. 

BET.com: First of all, congratulations on making valedictorian. You are good TV, especially because people probably underestimate the pretty face and then you get in there like, bam, like a ninja. 

Claudia Jordan: Thank you, I appreciate that. I love knowledge. I love learning about things, and I definitely wasn't going to disrespect being at an HBCU. That wasn't lost on me. I really kept saying, we cannot make this HBCU look bad, and we cannot make celebrities look bad. I think we should go in here and take it really seriously. And yeah, we can have our fun, we have to get good TV, but we should really take this seriously and not feel like it should be easier for us because we're celebs. I wanted to take it seriously and honor HBCUs. 

BET.com: I'm an HBCU grad, and so I know some of the quirks and things about HBCUs, and one of the things they take seriously is legacy, and so it was cool to watch you guys take some of the history classes that you were taking, which HBCUs are big on. That being said, you told a beautiful story about your aunt Sara and how she touched you and said she wished you had finished school and how that was part of why you were on the show.Tell me a little bit more about your relationship with her and kind of like how her spirit kind of affects how you still move to this day.

CJ: My aunt Sara is my grandmother's sister. I was very, very close to my grandmother, who recently passed away as well. But my aunt Sara was the last of all the sisters who were alive, and she passed away. 

BET.com: You're Black side? Just curious. 

CJ: I didn't grow with the white side. They're all in Italy.  I only grew up with my mom who is Italian, but I grew up with my Black family, Black, grandma Black cousins, cookouts, all that kind of stuff. I just want to make that very clear. I feel like sometimes people use that to try to water me down. My mother is from Italy, but I still grew up very much with the Black experience and a very Black family, and I mean, they didn't play. My aunt Sara, especially, did not play about education. She was like, okay, that's cute that you’re in pageants and modeling but education was always serious. Although I became successful in my field, she didn’t care that I was 49, 50-years-old. I remember her telling me, “I still wish I would have seen you graduate from school. I think it's not too late,” and sometimes that seems ridiculous when you're already successful in your field, but I understand what she meant. She was born in the 20s  when Black folks weren't able to vote, and Black women, especially, weren’t able to vote, and participate, and I just imagine how hard it had been, back then, for her to even get an education. So that meant something to her and the entire time I was there, I really hoped she was smiling down on me, knowing I took it seriously. It's not quite a degree, but it still feels very much like a degree, the amount of work we squeezed into one month was a lot.  

BET.com: I know you studied broadcast journalism in undergrad, but you mentioned how your experience on “Celebrity College Hill” inspired you to pursue other avenues, like politics. So, what does your media career look like with politics involved? 

CJ: I’m known for being on reality shows, or hosting a gossip show. I am not fulfilled by gossip. I've never been fulfilled by gossip. Anyone that really knows me, knows I've always felt like I had a deeper purpose. I've always been interested in the political lane. I've been very vocal, and using my platform to educate people. I love that other people are doing it also. I feel like there's so much disinformation about Vice President Kamala Harris, soon to be president, that it is starting to stick, and we need to get back to journalism. We've gotten so far away from actual journalism, where we would actually hold people to the fire and put facts out. It's become so opinion-based. So I'm extra motivated  to get out and dispel the disinformation about her  

BET.com: Getting back to “College Hill,” I know you had different relationships with different people in the house and with Saucy Santana, he emerged as sort of the villain, but what was he like when cameras weren't rolling? 

CJ: I know he's being perceived as a villain, but Saucy Santana is not a villain. He's a young, popping, successful man that's actually living his dream right now. You do not have to do college by the time you're 21 years old and complete. Everyone's journey is not the same. You can go get your entertainment stuff out of the way. I mean, pursue your dreams, and then college will always be there. I'm 51 and I went back at 51, so I just want people to not be as harsh on him because he's extremely successful. We were in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and he's popping right now. Everyone wanted a piece of Saucy Santana, so he took advantage of the moment, but when that man did buckle down and put his mind to it, he was very smart. He's not dumb, and he wasn't a villain. He was a little mischievous, but it was understood that knocking on our door and all that stuff was annoying, but I never perceived him as a villain. I actually really got to like him a lot and I'm glad I got to know him for him, because we've had  to cover him on my show before. He and I had a little bit of tension at first, but once we sat down and talked about where each other was coming from -- he's a Libra, and I’m an Aries -- we're supposed to be besties and really compatible. I just really want to encourage people to get to know each other and their why’s before judging because people have judged me so harshly in my life, and I am so glad I got to spend a month in the house with him and see him for who he was. He's not a bad guy. He's a young, fun guy, and he's living his dream. 

BET.com: I’m going to say some other castmates’ names, and tell me what comes to mind when you hear their name. Angela. 

CJ: Evolved.  

BET.com: Carlos. 

CJ: Pain in the ass, but smart as hell. He's not what you think. He's a nice guy dressed in wolf's clothing. He's a really nice guy. 

BET.com: Nick. 

CJ: Sweet. 

BET.com: And Tamar. 

CJ: A lot. That's also another one that I'm glad I got to know. We've crossed paths, and had our issues in the past as well, but we really got to know each other on “College Hill,” and again, once you know someone's why, a lot of stuff that they do makes sense, and if people could just take anything from this interview, it’s that we got to stop being so judgmental. Give people more grace, but she's a sweetheart. 

BET.com: Finally, what else are you working on that you’re excited about? 

CJ: I have a couple of horror films coming out. One is called “Trope,” and it is amazing. We got Big Lez, Caryn Ward, Jazz Anderson, and a bunch of great, fantastic actors and that's coming out very soon, maybe in September.  I also have one called “Do It For The Gram,” where my character evolved from someone who was really buttoned up, running for office, and then I fall apart in the movie and go to crazy extremes for my get back, and I'm really excited, and I'm also working with this entity about trying to produce and restore more Integrity into media.