Shan seated on a park bench holding a mic to the camera

Photo: Ari Elgharsi

Meet Shan on the Street 

How one simple question made this alum a social media star.

For $100, could you name three randomly selected tunes by your favorite music artist? That’s the challenge that Shan Rizwan ’21 has spent the last five years springing on passersby on New York City streets, and it’s paid off for him as well as his surprised on-camera interviewees. Rizwan’s videos, posted on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram under the handle @shanonthestreet, have garnered him more than three million followers and huge opportunities, such as attending the 2025 Academy Awards and the 2024 Paris Olympics as a social media content creator. “This is my childhood dream,” said Rizwan, who grew up in New Jersey. He started by sharing video diaries about his college experiences at BC, where he majored in economics and minored in marketing. By graduation he had enough YouTube subscribers to pursue content creation full-time. Rizwan pivoted to his now-signature man-on-the-street-style format in part to build his social confidence, he said. He recently made another pivot: a burgeoning singer, he released his own first song and music video, “Waiting.” “Musicians also have to be creators now,” he said. “My content will probably look different, but I don’t plan on stopping.” ◽

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