by Hector H. Lopez

^{This column was originally published throughout the Americas by Al Día News on October 15, 2024, in both English & Spanish.}

There is a moment in the life of every system when it begins to break down, not from a sudden shock, but from slow erosion. Higher education, as we know it, is unraveling. What was once a bastion of opportunity has become a fortress of exclusivity, where wealth outweighs merit, and institutions that once promised upward mobility now serve a select few. It’s as if the very fabric of the system is fraying, thread by thread. And yet, amidst this unraveling, there is hope—the possibility of weaving something new, something lasting.

1. My Journey to the Crossroads of Education

I grew up in a place where opportunity wasn’t handed to you. El Paso, Texas—a border town straddling two worlds, where the weight...

by Hector H. Lopez

^{This column was originally published throughout the Americas by Al Día News on September 18, 2024, in both English & Spanish.}

Leadership, integrity, culture and community—these were the ideals that always guided me, my constant North Star. But over time, I’ve watched that North Star dim, just as I’ve seen those same values erode in broader society.

This past week, Kendrick Lamar dropped a new track. Many in pop culture will likely focus on his ongoing superficial feud with Drake, obsessed with the spectacle of the industry. But to fixate on that drama is to miss the deeper message. Much like the themes I’ve explored in my op-eds for Al Día, Kendrick’s track critiques a far more profound issue: the ideals of leadership, integrity, culture and community—once held in such high regard—have been...

by Hector H. Lopez

^{This column was originally published throughout the Americas by Al Día News on September 10, 2024, in both English & Spanish.}

Yet another school shooting. Last week, it was Apalachee High School in Georgia. The tragic pattern continues, and it took me back to when I first learned what a school shooting was as a freshman at Georgetown University on April 20, 1999—Columbine. Thirteen lives—12 students and 1 teacher—were senselessly cut down in what should have been a sanctuary of learning. I vividly remember walking into my dormitory lounge, where a crowd of stunned students gathered around the television, disbelief hanging in the air like smoke. We all wondered the same thing: how could this happen in a school—a place of growth, discovery, and community?

Fast forward 20 years, and I found myself at Georgetown once again,...

by Hector H. Lopez

^{This column was originally published throughout the Americas by Al Día News on September 03, 2024, in both English & Spanish.}

Once upon a time, in the dusty borderlands of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, I was a young boy with dreams bigger than the horizons I could see. My parents, like so many others, had crossed into this country carrying little more than their hopes, and they instilled in me the belief that education was the golden ticket to a better life—a life where I could not only thrive but also make a difference.

I believed in that dream. I clung to it like a lifeline. Education was my path to the American Dream, to success, to the kind of life where impact wasn’t just a possibility; it was a certainty. And so, I worked hard. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into Georgetown University's Edmund A....

by Hector H. Lopez

^{This column was originally published throughout the Americas by Al Día News on August 26, 2024, in both English & Spanish.}

Once upon a time, I believed that the pinnacle of my purpose was to become the President of the United States. It was a dream forged in the fires of ambition, tempered by countless hours of study, preparation, public speaking, debating, and professional experience. I was crafting what I thought was the perfect narrative—a carefully groomed story that would someday lead me to the Oval Office, where I could make the most significant impact on society and leave my mark on the world.

It was a romantic endeavor, almost cinematic in its pursuit. I envisioned politics as the ideal platform to enact change, inspired by leadership akin to what we see on TV shows like The West Wing—the camaraderie, the principled debates,...