Out in the courtyard, she spots Brittany playing a game of human chess and tells her that what she's doing isn't her, that she is freaking her out and she's the best dancer that she knows, and invites her to perform a number together, but Brittany declines. Then she interrupts Will during glee and tell him she wants to do a dance number with Brittany, and the two of them sing and dance to Valerie with Mike and Jake. Later Santana finds Brittany in the auditorium and expresses her disappointment for her being with Sam, as she thinks she can do better. Brittany says she won't break up with Sam and she know that her relationship with Elaines is fake and she left UoL. Santana admits that she is scared of the real world because according to her, once you're there, no one gives a crap about you. Brittany gives courage to follow her dreams and to find a real girlfriend. After that, they share a hug and Santana tells Brittany that she is really a genius and that she's her best friend. She starts to sing Girl on Fire, over the course of the song, She exits through the doors and re-emerges in New York, in a scene mirroring.

Santana is sitting on the couch in the apartment helping the band come up with names. Eventually she gets annoyed because Kurt keeps shooting down ideas, but he isn't pitching in to help them. Rachel walks in and Santana tells her that they are trying to come up with a name that pleases Kurt. Rachel suggests naming them Pamela Lansbury. Because she named the band, Kurt talks her into joining. When she agrees, Santana gets up and begins to cheer. At the end, Santana sings Roar with the rest of the band. She is seen with the rest of the New Directions girls and advises her to wait, accusing Finn of being terrible in bed. She is later seen being a part of the performance A Boy Like That/I Have A Love, she is present in the auditorium with the cast of their production of West Side Story to thank Artie for being a great director. When Rachel arranges a private chat with the girls about wanting to lose her virginity with Finn, Santana is also present at this point. She is later seen, playing one of the lead roles in America.The only thing that can keep you from freezing to death is to have good friends around you to keep you warm. Afterwards, in Sue's office, Santana confesses to Sue that she hated College because everyone was mistaking her brutal honesty for Bitchiness and begs Sue not to tell her mother she had dropped out. Sue offers her a job to be the coach of the Cheerios. Santana's relationship with Brittany-Santana Relationship is explored on a much deeper level. At the beginning of the episode she walks up to Brittany and asks her if she wants to come over to her house and watch Sweet Valley High and "get their cuddle on, hinting that Brittany has still been hooking up with Santana even though she's dating Artie. While at Santana's house, Brittany wants to talk about their feelings for each other because their relationship confuses her, but Santana refuses to talk or be given a label. However, she does decide to sit down with Brittany and Holly Holliday to discuss the nature of their relationship. Still unable to fully open up, Holly suggest them to sing a song and Santana has the perfect one already figured out. The trio sing Landslide and throughout the song Santana becomes extremely emotional and even cries. Santana is introduced as an antagonist alongside Quinn. Together with Brittany, they are The Unholy Trinity, the three most popular cheerleaders at school. She is seen as a bitchy cheerleader who takes pride in her cruel attitude.

Santana is first seen gazing vacantly along with all the rest of Mr. Schue's Spanish class at the performance of La Cucaracha. Also, Santana asks David Martinez to show off his singing skills to which he sings Sexy and I Know It. Later in the episode, Sue is seen accusing Santana of complaining to Figgins about her teaching skills. The following day, Santana is seen with David performing La Isla Bonita. She then watched Will's performance of A Little Less Conversation and hates it. Will then realizes that Santana complained to Figgins about his teaching and asks her why. It is revealed that Will only became a Spanish teacher because it was the only available teaching position at the time. Santana says that he doesn't have passion for Spanish like he does for glee club. Santana defends Brittany when she says she doesn't want to do a Britney Spears' number. Later at the dentist's office, she accompanies Brittany and says her dad is a real doctor so she can pay for the anaesthesia. She somehow enters the same dream fantasy as Brittany performing their duet of Me Against the Music. Next in the auditorium, she performs vocals during the club's performance of Toxic. Santana sees Rachel digging through her panty drawer when she walks into the apartment. She asks her why and Rachel said that it used to be a scented candle drawer. They begin to have a brief conversation about how much they meant to each other mostly because of the fact that they are each others only girl friend in New York. Santana says that Brittany doesn't count and her and Quinn aren't really that close. Rachel finally ask her why she auditioned for her part. Santana responds by saying that there was an opportunity and Rachel would have don't the same thing. Kurt, Dani, and Elliott walk in surprised to see the girls in the same room and not fighting. Elliott says he wants to sing with them, but Rachel says she doesn't see that happening. With that, she leaves to go to rehearsals. Santana kisses Dani goodbye and leaves to go to work. Although in the Pilot, you can see many male Cheerios performing alongside the girls, there has not been mention of another male on the team apart from Kurt, Blaine and Mason throughout the series.

original movie costume

Santana is mentioned by Sue Sylvester when she says that Quinn, Brittany, and Santana Lopez are one of her most successful Cheerios during an interview with Geraldo Rivera. "I wished your interviewed some of my more successful Cheerios. Like Quinn Fabray, currently enrolled at Yale, Brittany S. Pierce, math prodigy M.I.T., Santana Lopez was a broadway understudy and now could have a very promising career as a high class prostitute". Geraldo then tells her that they did reach out to all three of them and they declined to comment, leaving Sue seemingly speechless. In NYADA, Santana is late for class and is scold by the dance instructor. The instructor asks her why she is even there. She answered saying that she is there to do some reintroducing with dance. The instructor told the class to start with some Pliés and when Santana is doing them, she imagined her little self doing pliés. The little Santana says "Don't forget me again, okay?" and Santana says "I won't, I promise" and they hugged each other, then Santana said "I've got you now." As the week concludes the Rachel, Kurt and Santana are standing in a shop window, performing Away in a Manger, which Santana has a solo in, as people walk past and watch them. Four cheerleaders dance with Brittany during Dinosaur at prom. It's also in this episode Quinn is out of the wheelchair and is an active cheerleader again. Santana is seen dancing around while Blaine and Rachel sing Extraordinary Merry Christmas. She is also seen dancing around while Brittany sings Christmas Wrapping. Santana has a solo in New Directions performance of Do They Know It's Christmas?.

Santana is seen with the rest of the New Directions girls singing Summer Nights. She is later seen singing The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and remembers the first time she met Brittany. During Without You she and Brittany and seen holding hands and following the song she makes a remark about the assignment "Not being about Rachel Berry." Towards the end of the episode she is seen singing lead with Rachel in We Found Love. At the auditions, Santana makes a surprise appearance, auditioning for the understudy role. Much to Rachel's chagrin, she sings Don't Rain on My Parade, Rachel's signature piece. Rupert is amazed by her and, once he finds out they went to high school together, he's even more thrilled, anticipating the good publicity it will bring to the performance. Santana's "Lebanese" t-shirtherself to change Dave and announces that they fell in love in the process, much to everyone's disgust. Santana and her new "beard" then form a new club known as the "Bully Whips," which, as the name says, fights bullying. She later reveals her shirt for the Born This Way number, which says "Bitch." Brittany gives her another shirt saying "Lebanese," but what she really meant was "Lesbian." Santana refuses to wear it, scared of other people's reaction and decides not to perform. Instead she watches from the seats alongside Dave, but wearing the "Lebanese" shirt instead of the one she made.At the New York City Ballet Gala, Santana reveals that her grandmother had made her take ballet lessons because he was a Tomboy. They started singing At the Ballet. During the performance, they all reminisced how they loved ballet as a child. When Sue sees Brittany teaching hairography to the other members of the New Directions, with her hair loose, she tells Will that all the Cheerios tie their hair with a high pony because she doesn't want it to the distract them from success. In Season Three, they officially start dating in Pot o' Gold over dinner at Breadstix. Santana asks if they can 'talk about the thing that they never talk about'. Asking whether they are dating or not, Brittany says that she thought they were on a date, just like last week when they were sharing a bath together. She also stated that last year she said 'If I'm single and you're single, we'd mingle'. In Mash Off Santana finally makes her relationship with Brittany public after being outed by Finn, and reveals to her family that she is a lesbian. Their relationship continues for the rest of the season.