PRINCE TAVIZON
LINQ sits down with Prince Tavizon for an unfiltered conversation about his path — from reclassifying early, to carrying his family through hard times, to building his own foundation. He opens up on the struggles that shaped him, the doubt he fights, and the fuel that keeps him moving.
At 16, he reclassified, reshaped his body, and carried the weight of struggles most of his peers could never imagine. This is Prince before Oregon raw, real, and ready.
I’m fascinated by the decision to reclassify. When did you determine that this is a viable path for you? As in, 'this is what I need to do.' That’s not common, you know what I mean?
PT: For sure. So, after I went up to Oregon my third time, I was thinking about it and talking with my mom because we were in a situation where we were homeless. And everybody tells me I already look like a sophomore in college, so I’m like okay, if I look like it, and I play like it, then I can do it. And I did it. And it’s hard. These senior classes are low-key hard. But I’m moving through them pretty good so I should be good.
It sounds like your family is a big motivating factor, tell me about that.
PT: Well really my moms side of the family. I’ve been through a lot of struggles with my mother. We’ve been homeless before, we’ve been sleeping in cars before. And we just have a bond that’s unbreakable. I can’t put it into words, I just have to keep driving until I can’t no more.
And what a gift to play football at such a high level.
PT: Yeah, I’m very blessed to play this sport because some people can’t wake up everyday on their own and do it, you know?
Yeah, and let alone to be in a physique enough to reclassify, that stuff is really rare. Any concerns with that or do you feel ready to go?
"We've been homeless before, we've been sleeping in cars before"
PT: So I have a lot of doubt on myself, that’s a bad habit that I do. I have a lot of doubt. What if I don’t make it? What if I fall short? I have to stop thinking like that and let it play out. God has a plan for me, and if it’s right, he’s going to bless me with the opportunity to go to the league and do all that stuff.
Is there anything you do to silence that doubt?
PT: I listen to music. I just turn on my music. Or just start writing about what’s going on in my life. That’s what got me through a lot of my life is just writing and listening to music.
What are you tapping into lately?
PT: Music wise? I listen to literally everything, from old stuff to heavy metal. I listen to everything.
So it sounds like getting into the zone, handling those jitters, music, writing, am I missing anything?
PT: I like to play the game, Playstation and I’m big into Pokemon cards too.
Do you play and collect?
PT: I collect, yeah I do. Really my mom bought me some when I was younger and I just fell in love with it ever since.
"I have a lot of doubt. What if I don't make it? What if I fall short?"
PT: I'm also working on releasing my foundation.
That's exciting to start a nonprofit. What's it called? And what's the rationale for starting it?
PT: So the name of the foundation is called the Prince's Resilient Foundation. Our mission is big. Do you want to hear it?
For sure.
PT: All right, our mission is to support people who care, at home, at school and in life by creating a community where they're seen supported and reminded that their strength is their superpower. And also to empower youth like me, young leaders, balancing life, family, and by creating support systems that recognize our struggle, our dreams, and remind us we're not alone.
PT: The reason, I decided to start my own nonprofit... I grew up watching my single mom raise four kids on her own. I saw her making impossible choices between paying rent, putting food on the table or buying us clothes and having having to do things she wasn't proud of, sometimes, strangers stepped in to help, and I never forgot that. That's why I started my nonprofit Prince Resilient Foundation to be that kind of help for others, for families who feel unheard and unseen and unsupported.
That's powerful. You sound excited.
PT: I am! I like giving back to people who don't have it, you know? 'Cause I've been there in their shoes before because, when you don't got it, it sucks.
For people in that situation, what would you want them to know? What was the turning point for you that they can anchor on?
PT: What really touched me is when, strangers stepped in and tried to help. Providing food, clothes, shoes, going back to school shopping. Helping us find a place. That's really was the turning point for me. Seeing that there's good people in the world that are willing to take out of their own just to see someone else happy, you know?
Mm hmm.
PT: So I want to be one of those like one of those type of people who give back to people who don't have it. So I can see the same smile that I had on my face when I was given something that I didn't have.
"I started my nonprofit Prince Resilient Foundation to be that kind of help for others, for families who feel unheard and unseen and unsupported"
What's it feel like to have that person step in?
PT: Man, it feels wonderful, actually, you're just in a dark deep hole where no one hears you screaming for help or yelling for help, and someone just throws down a rope and pulls you up, it feels like dang someone really did this out of the kindness of kindness out of their heart because they want to see someone else happy. It was crazy. I don't know really how to explain it, but…
Do you have someone particular in mind that you equate this to?
PT: Damn, I have a couple of people… For sure, Coach Dunn. Coach David Dunn, you know people who stepped in and helped me when they didn't need to, you know? And he did. I feel like people at Oregon like Coach Kam, he made sure I was good when we were going through some things, he made sure we were straight. And then, going back way back when I was younger. There's this lady. Her name is Miss Grace. She's a church lady. My mom was working for little business and stuff. So, yeah, those three people, I would say for sure helped me.
And what would you want to tell them?
PT: Thank you. Really, that's all I have to say is I can't stop thanking them. I really appreciate them for the thing that they did to help us when we didn't have the right resources. So I always say, thank you. And that you'll never be forgotten. I'll always remember them because the good things that they did to me.
For those that are experiencing this right now, how can they be heard?
PT: Some people don't like talking about their situations they're going through. I was one of those people who didn't want to say, oh, yeah, I need clothes or I need shoes or I need food at home because I don't got it. Or, I don't have a home, you know? I was embarrassed to talk about that stuff when I was younger, but I feel like you have to embrace it so people understand why you are the way you are. And, there's certain things that people do because they're in situations that they don't enjoy. So I would say just speaking up about it, finding every resource that you can and, just embrace it. So you can find that help that you need. You might run into the right person one day and just ask for help one day and they might help you way more than you expect.
And what's embracing it look like? Saying it? Posting it on Instagram?
PT: Saying it. Yeah, not posting it. I would say not begging for help, but, you know, saying hey, if you guys know anybody who can pay for a hotel, a nonprofit, or some people who help people. Just little things like that.
So, in terms of your foundation, do you have like an overall goal that you want to achieve with it?
PT: My goal... create a safe, empowering space where youth can talk about what they're going through and build leadership and emotional strength for kids that are 12-18. Basically building something that where kids feel comfortable with talking about, things that other people wouldn't be comfortable talking about. Because I can, say… the last 11 months, I wasn't really comfortable talking about a lot of things, but I feel like, you just need to embrace it. Use it as fuel for you to drive for something bigger and better. I was sleeping all the floor for 11 months. Nobody wants to say that. You just got to embrace it.
Mm hmm.
PT: So I just want to build something where kids feel comfortable doing, like, saying things that they wouldn't feel comfortable saying to, like, a normal person you you know, like someone they just met.
Wow. And when you were sleeping on the floor for 11 months, where was this at?
PT: So I was at my grandma's house. She took us in, let us sleep there. It was just not a lot of beds there, there was only two. So I let my mom and my sister sleep in the bed. I made a little, it was like a little cushion on the floor. It wasn't it wasn't bad. I actually personally like sleeping closer to the ground. I don't know. I feel like it's better for your back or something. But it was bad, because I wasn't in my own space. You're at someone else's house. So it's kind of rough, but I feel like it plays a big part of my life, like, just living it, you know? Things could have been worse. I just kept driving. I kept pushing past it, I didn't let it affect me. I let it drive me.
We all have our own stories, no doubt. And I think the biggest thing is to your point, using it as a strength.
PT: Yeah. Because I used to not want to talk about, like, I used to not like telling people my mom's sick. When theirs is just healthy, walking around and moving around. It kind of made me upset when I seen people with their mom, out and about doing things. Their mom coming to their games where my mom is in the hospital sick. So I used to feel some type of way, but I just started embracing it. And it's been better ever since.
It's almost like the thing you feel the most resistance on is what sets you free.
PT: Yeah. So when I just started talking about my mom being sick, I feel like there's a lot of weight coming off my chest, you know? I get to speak about what I've been going through finally, instead of keeping the inside, you know.
Man I'm so fired up for you.
PT: I can't wait, man.
I'm so fired up.
PT: I'm excited.
A few months and you're in Eugene.
PT: That's crazy. Time flies.
PRINCE TAVIZON GO-TO GEAR
