BYU–Hawaii senior said students should be intentional with their education, limit distractions and pursue goals with urgency
Success in college is about learning how to live with purpose, not just earning a degree, said Alan Pineda, a senior in communication, media and culture from Texas. He said students often fall into “autopilot,” driven by distractions like social media and routines that prevent them from thinking critically about their future. Through his experiences in school, work and entrepreneurship, he said ambition, balance and intentionality are what help students grow.
The cost of constant scrolling
Pineda said social media can place users on “autopilot,” a mindset where people consume content without thinking critically. “Too often we just go with the system,” he said. “It is preventing us from thinking outside the box when we need to solve something.”
His perspective was shaped by his experience working in digital advertising at the Polynesian Cultural Center. He said platforms use user data to target audiences and keep them engaged. “I spent two to three years making ad campaigns on Facebook that target people by tax brackets,” he said, explaining that algorithms are designed to keep users browsing longer.
After recognizing how much social media had saturated his life, Pineda said he deleted his Meta account in 2026. “It was pretty hard,” he said, recalling losing meaningful posts, including one documenting time he spent connecting with homeless individuals in Austin.
Despite that loss, he said stepping away helped him see how easily people fall into passive consumption. He said he noticed this pattern in himself after returning from his mission, when he spent significant time on TikTok. “I remember someone asked me what I was learning from it,” he said. “I realized I didn’t know if I had learned anything.”
Between classroom and company
A co-founder of Kahuku Apps, a company that builds marketing and software tools for businesses, Pineda said his experience in entrepreneurship changed how he approached college.
Working with people at different stages of life, he said collaboration in his company offered a perspective he did not always find in the classroom. “In classes, sometimes I can do activities by myself, but with a company, I was able to get help from people I worked with,” he said. He added this dynamic strengthened both his team and the company.
While he values education, Pineda said there are moments when school feels like a system to move through rather than a meaningful experience. “I love college, but there would be times where I would be working on projects for my company or the PCC, and then I remember I have an assignment due,” he said.
He said finding a balance between school and work became essential. “There really should be a balance in everything you do. I try to focus on what I am dealing with, like classes I’m taking or work-related things, to focus on one task at a time,” he said.
Balancing both environments helped him see that education serves different purposes depending on the setting. “At times in certain spaces, education is not that useful, but in other settings, I think more people need it,” he said.
Podcast host Haley Cowan, a senior majoring in education from Utah, shared a similar perspective. She said college teaches more than subject knowledge. “My teachers tell us we aren’t here to learn what to teach but to learn how to be hard workers,” she said.
Cowan added that even classes that do not directly apply to future careers still build essential skills. “It is teaching work ethics, how to finish projects on time and time management,” she said.
A season for ambition
Looking back on his college journey, Pineda said students should use this season of life to pursue their goals boldly. “College is the time to be ambitious,” he said. “You are learning with your goals in mind—it’s a time to go after everything, even when you don’t know when or how, and even if you’re broke.” He added students should develop a sense of urgency in pursuing what matters to them.
Pineda said ambition should be driven by purpose, not confusion with burnout. “Life is short, and you should enjoy it,” he said. “Enjoying it doesn’t mean you’re wasting it. The more productive you are, the more you can achieve.”