By Kalena Reynolds | Arts & Life Editor
“Take the risk” — a motto that graduate student Bryan Cordova lives by and also frequently shares on his social media platforms. With over 30,000 followers across his Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, Cordova has built a brand on motivating others while sharing lessons of his own journey.
Cordova grew up in South Korea until he was 13, when his family decided to move back to Peru. He eventually earned his bachelor’s in audiovisual communication in Peru, which led to a job as a TV producer and reporter at Panamericana Television.
Cordova said his favorite part of the job was the adrenaline of working in live programming.
“I love it, every second counts in television … There’s no margin of error,” Cordova said. “You gotta do everything perfect, but you got to have passion for that.”
As Cordova progressed in his career, eventually being asked to teach at a college in Peru, he decided to return to school to earn his master’s degree.
“Actually, the United States wasn’t even my first option — It was South Korea,” Cordova said.
After applying to graduate journalism programs and praying about the right path to take, Cordova decided to expand his horizons to the U.S. and apply to Baylor and the University of Texas at Austin.
“When I came to Baylor to check it out, not exaggerating, it was like ‘God, this is a place where you want me,’” Cordova said. “Baylor, it felt like this is the place where I have to be.”
Currently, Cordova is in the journalism graduate program and also works as an office assistant within the department. He uses his free time to create videos showcasing his journey as an immigrant and student; his username is @bryancordovatv on both TikTok and Instagram.
Cordova said that a main point for showcasing his journey is to motivate and inspire others.
“When my first semester started [at Baylor], I was already sharing [my] journeys,” Cordova said. “I remember the first time it generated engagement was on TikTok and got like 20,000 views, and it was my ‘First Day as an International Student at Baylor University’ video.”
Close friend Erin Cottle said that when she first met Cordova, she was shocked by his charisma and passion for life.
“I know he’s just very, very driven by his career goals,” Cottle said. “He did leave a good job and friends and his family and all that to come over to do this, to better himself and reach his goals. So I think he is taking advantage, and like, ‘While I’m over here I’m going to do the best I can.’”
In November, Cordova decided to go all in on social media and began posting every day.
“At first, I was like, ‘OK, [this is] not working, I’m not getting the attention that it has the first time I posted the video,’” Cordova said. “Then in the end, I think it takes a lot to be consistent … you just got to enjoy this because it’s less than 1% of people that blow up.”
Once Cordova shifted his philosophy to “enjoying the journey,” he said he began to skyrocket on social media.
“That is when I think the biggest video until now that I have popped out,” Cordova said. “It’s ‘My Saturday as an International Student,’ and that has like 50K views.”
Cordova said he has also had the opportunity to collaborate with a multitude of Waco businesses and events through his platform.
“I’m not doing it for the numbers,” Cordova said. “I’m doing it because I’m enjoying it and … I have faith and I know that this is going to keep paying off bigger and bigger.”
As he continues to build his brand, Cordova said he eventually hopes to build a sustainable career from social media as well as building a path into the TV industry in the U.S.
“This is what I want to do the rest of my life, and that’s being in front of the camera,” Cordova said.
Cordova emphasized the importance of faith alongside his passion, stating that God is a main factor in his success.
“God has blessed me in so many ways,” Cordova said. “We don’t always get what we want, and when we do it’s because it was meant to be, and that was God’s planning bit. When we don’t, it’s like God’s plans are better than what we imagined.”
