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-Pablo Lacayo | Wednesday, April 26, 2023
This edition of The Observer will be very special for me. It contains the last column I write for this newspaper and is the culmination of a three-semester stint as a member of one of Notre Dame’s most select clubs, The Observer’s Viewpoint columnists. Beyond that, it will also be my final journalistic endeavor for
Pablo Lacayo | Wednesday, April 12, 2023
As I prepare to venture into a new chapter in my life, tens of thousands of students across the world are currently preparing to enter the very life stage that I am on the cusp of leaving: college. The college admissions process can be overwhelming and stressful, especially if you do not have useful insight
Pablo Lacayo | Monday, April 3, 2023
1,256.75 hours, scattered throughout 403 shifts worked over the last four years. That amounts to more or less 54 entire days and is the total sum of my time spent working at North Dining Hall since I first came to Notre Dame. After eight semesters in NDH, last week was the last one I worked
Pablo Lacayo | Tuesday, March 21, 2023
I have half a semester left at Notre Dame. Time seems to be flying by and in the blink of an eye, I already see myself sitting in the stadium trying to stay focused throughout the commencement ceremony. This semester has been one of intense meditation and reflection: what I did and did not do
Pablo Lacayo | Wednesday, March 1, 2023
One of my favorite classes this semester has been Politics of China, a solid political science course dedicated to the history of Chinese politics since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in the fall of 1949. I have been able to learn a great deal about China’s journey from near anarchy in the
Pablo Lacayo | Tuesday, February 14, 2023
At the start of my senior year, I had just emerged from a ten-week stint living in Northwest Arkansas. I had finished a productive internship that gave me good insights into what working in finance looks like in the professional world and was looking forward to kicking off my last year of college on a
Pablo Lacayo | Wednesday, February 1, 2023
As we settle into 2023, American politics has really simmered down to a near standstill. The country just emerged from the most enigmatic midterm cycle in recent history, with voters rebuking President Biden’s administration just enough to flip the balance of the House of Representatives while simultaneously giving the White House symbolic victories like a
Pablo Lacayo | Thursday, January 19, 2023
The collapse of the Soviet Union was one of the world’s most seismic events towards the end of the twentieth century. Many political analysts have provided a plethora of hypotheses as to why the USSR collapsed the way it did, and the different ways it could have either been avoided or mistakes that precipitated its
Pablo Lacayo | Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Throughout the years, my voracious appetite for politics and history has led me to come across a wide array of slogans, phrases and soundbites that for one reason or another have stuck with me due to their significance, effectiveness or messaging. To me, they are comforting phrases that provide me with motivation, inspiration and hope
Pablo Lacayo | Tuesday, November 29, 2022
I have always had a deep infatuation with Nicaragua’s history, and throughout my life I have consistently made a point of learning as much of it as is humanly possible. I have spent countless hours reading my country’s history books, clicking through Wikipedia pages and watching archive footage found in rather obscure corners of the