As part of FAU Alumni Association’s virtual senior week, Owl alum Tyler Cameron was a guest on a webinar Wednesday called “Building Your Personal Brand.”

Cameron, who graduated in 2018, has been in the spotlight ever since he last played tight end for the FAU football team, as he was a runner-up in season 15 of the Bachelorette. Since then, the Jupiter native has been filming his upcoming show which premiers May 11 on the new streaming service Quibi, titled Barkitecture, where he builds dog houses for celebrities. 

He was joined on the webinar by the Alumni Association’s Student and Young Alumni Giving Coordinator Ally Topliff and Assistant Director Chandra Roberson. 

Roberson talked about the opportunity to have him talk with the student body would be effective especially when he’s a relatable figure. 

“It gave the viewers a chance to get to know him, but also a chance to see themselves in him –– a regular FAU student who used his opportunities and knowledge as a springboard to become the entrepreneur he is today,” she said.

Along with the advice he gave to the graduating seniors on expanding their social media presence, he also talked about how much FAU has impacted his life. 

“I went to two schools in Wake Forest and FAU, but I call [FAU] my home,” Cameron said. “That’s who I pull for, I want to see everyone from FAU prosper because FAU did so much for me and has such an amazing experience. I’m truly an Owl for life.”

Topliff said when crafting the virtual senior week together, the idea of bringing on Cameron for a talk would excite the outgoing class of 2020. 

“I know Tyler Cameron is very popular with the student body, and to have him a part of the week is something I thought was important and a surprise for the graduating class,” she said, “Tyler is an Owl for life and we were so happy to join us for the week to celebrate seniors in the best way our office can right now.”

With the webinar being live streamed on the website Crowd Cast, a viewer asked what keeps the former FAU tight end motivated to keep going in his path to building his own personal brand. He didn’t hesitate to answer that it was his family. 

“It’s my little brothers, my dad, especially since I lost my mom at the end of February,” Cameron said. “It really puts a lot of things in perspective and how fragile life is so I put a lot of energy into focusing how my family is doing to be successful and happy.”

His mother, Andrea, died of a brain aneurysm and with her passing, Cameron said that the family is making a scholarship fund for her. The family also made a charity on GoFundMe that launched on March 6 in her name. Events like that, he said, is what he wants his legacy to be. 

“I want to be known as someone that would give opportunities to others,” Cameron said. “My mom was that way too, she was the most selfless person that I’ve ever been around.”

Cameron believes that being in quarantine is the perfect opportunity to make yourself known on social media.

“I think right now is the best time to try and grow your personal brand,” Cameron said. “Now, everyone is starving for content because there is nothing else to do. It’ll always be hard to build it no matter what, but it’s a perfect time now. 

Cameron stressed the idea of showing off one’s true self rather than a facade on a social media platform. While he’s prevalent on Twitter and Instagram, one major platform he mentioned was TikTok, a video-sharing social networking app. 

“With apps like Instagram, it’s super curated, but with TikTok, I throw up anything on there because it allows me to show off my goofy, fun side,” Cameron said, “it’s such a youthful and creative app.” 

 Cameron concluded with a final piece of advice for graduates in their post-college ventures, saying to enjoy the moment and “be where your feet are.”

“Don’t put pressure on yourself,” Cameron said, “it’s easy to look at everybody around you and see them taking jobs but it’s going to take away from your happiness and success. Focus on yourself and if you do get a job you don’t particularly want, make the most of the opportunity, it could lead you to the right place.” 

You can watch the webinar “Building your Personal Brand” here.

Zachary Weinberger is the sports editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @ZachWeinberger.