He was the 2013-14 Pre-Doctoral Diversity Fellow at this same institution. He obtained his PhD in 2014 from The University of Texas at Austin where he also received his MA in Hispanic Literature. Previously, he obtained three bachelors degrees (two BAs and a BS) from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, in Hispanic Studies, Music, and Biology, respectively. His current book project examines the close relationship between post-revolutionary Cuban Literature and Film and their ties to important Cuban state institutions such as Casa de las Américas and the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC). He is currently teaching a course on Caribbean Literature and Film and the Diaspora.