Doctoral student offering Caribbean and related history through Zoom in Las Vegas

Paul's resume

Summary:
My current research is centered around the lack of attention by academia and national communication platforms in Puerto Rico regarding Pan-Africanism and afro-Puerto Rican antiracist organizations between 1920-1952. It is also an expansion from my Master’s thesis, regarding the Universal Negro Improvement Association’s presence on the island, which I also revisit and update in one of the chapters of my doctoral dissertation. Other research topics I have lined up to work on consists of Puerto Rico’s cultural revolution between the 1950s-1960s, and the life of Sister Marie Seraphine Gotay. She was a musical prodigy born in Puerto Rico that moved to New Orleans in the late 19th century, became a nun, and a well-respected multi-instrumentalist, covering the experience of the Afro-Puerto Rican diaspora.

Education:
2017 – present - PhD in Puerto Rican and Caribbean History
University: Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe
Due for submission December 2020 - May 2021
Dissertation title: Del panafricanismo al olvido: memorias de organizaciones afropuertorriqueñas, 1920-1952.
Translation: From Pan-Africanism to omission: memories of Afro-Puerto Rican organizations, 1920-1952.

2020 – present - Certification in Introduction to Digital Humanities
Institution: HarvardX (remote-online)

2019 – 2020 - Certification in Afro-Latin American Studies
Institution: Afro-Latin American Research Institute at Hutchins Center/Harvard University
(remote-online)

2015 – 2017 - MA in Puerto Rican and Caribbean History
University: Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe
Thesis title: El panafricanismo y la Asociación Universal de Desarrollo Negro en Puerto Rico, 1920-1922.
Translation: Pan-Africanism and the Universal Negro Improvement Association in Puerto Rico, 1920-1922.
2016 Student Council: History Department Representative

2005 – 2012 - BBA in Marketing
Universidad de Puerto Rico – Ponce Campus

Presentations:
After completing my Master’s thesis, I converted it into a presentation titled El Panafricanismo y la Asociación Universal de Desarrollo Negro en Puerto Rico, 1920-1926; an updated version of my original research. I was invited to offer this presentation in the following institutions:

Dec 2019 - First Continental Conference on Afro-Latin American Studies at Harvard University
Oct 2019 - Concilio Puertorriqueño Contra el Racismo at Carolina, Puerto Rico
Oct 2018 - Segundo Congreso de Afrodescendencia en Puerto Rico at Universidad de Puerto Rico - Río Piedras Campus
Oct 2018 - Tercer Simposio Sociedad y Literatura Caribeña at Universidad de Puerto Rico - Bayamón Campus

Publications:
Oct 2019 - "En Pie de Lucha: Nuevas Investigaciones Históricas Puertorriqueñas" (Ponce: Mariana Editores, 2019)
I developed my Master’s Thesis into an article also titled "El panafricanismo y la Asociación Universal de Desarrollo Negro en Puerto Rico, 1920-1922", which was published in the book mentioned above. It was a publication edited by my former professor, Dr. Evelyn Vélez Rodríguez, and her husband Carmelo Campos Cruz, Esq. This book was composed of 17 total articles written by scholars and students of Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe.

Work History:
Aug 2019 – Jun 2020 - Case Manager-Disaster Recovery Specialist at ICF, Carolina, PR
• Managed cases for the home repairs, reconstructions, or relocation program (R3), which supplies funds to repair or rebuild substantially damaged homes.
• Guided applicants through the entire grant process, including conducting intake and eligibility reviews, completing initial damage assessments, preparing applicant documentation, and overseeing construction.

Nov 2018 – Aug 2019 - Intake Specialist at Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC, San Juan, PR
• Supervised a group of intake specialists for special legal campaigns; mainly for the Flint
Water Crisis.
• Managed retained environmental cases for different legal campaigns, mostly involving
water crisis all across the United States.
• Gathered and organized clients' documents for litigating attorneys and hearings.

May 2017 – Oct 2018 - Call Center & Intake Service Manager at Law Office Services, LLC, San Juan, PR
• Supervised a team of lawyers and intake specialists in a high-volume call center,
which handled inbound/outbound calls mostly regarding medical, pharmaceutical, and
personal injury cases.
• Determined call center operational strategies by conducting needs assessments,
performance reviews, capacity planning, and cost/benefit analyses; identifying and
evaluating technologies for 1-800-LAW-FIRM, Kresch Legal Services, and Parker
Waichman, LLP.
• Completed research on faulty medical devices and medications that have been recalled
by the FDA, which have the potential to be future mass tort or class action lawsuits,
enhancing business development.

Mar 2015 – Feb 2017 - Retention Specialist at Sanders Phillips Grossman, LLC, Guaynabo, PR
• Retained clients for 2 straight years, highest achievements being 57 retentions in one
week, and over 100 retentions a month on various occasions. During the client interview,
I gathered factual details, essential for claims to develop into legal cases.
• Worked on the initial phase of legal claims by handling inbound/outbound calls and
client relations.

Apr 2014 – Oct 2014 - Customer Service Representative at Aon Hewitt, San Juan, PR
• Worked on over 40 different conflict management accounts daily between AT&T, its
numerous employees, and retirees from different backgrounds; residing in the United
States and Puerto Rico.
• Assisted AT&T employees and retirees on their enrollment in health benefits, life
insurances, and retirement benefits, in a high-volume call center.
• Enrolled hundreds of AT&T employees, retirees, and their dependents on their new
annual health benefits.

Aug 2013 – Nov 2013 - Debt Collector at Firstsource Advantage, LLC, Amherst, NY
• Assisted Capital One credit card holders from diverse backgrounds residing in the United
States, through inbound/outbound calls.
• Collected over $1,000.00 weekly in debt using Firstsource Advantage's database.
• Followed dozens of federal and state laws applicable to debt collection diligently to
assure and improve customer service.

Aug 2005 – May 2013 - Owner-Manager at J&E Screens and More, Arroyo, PR
• Developed and implemented strategies to target new business opportunities yearly,
resulting in 10 government contracts in auctions and 4 public school subcontracts,
offering services and products to Puerto Rico's Head Start Department of Education,
specifically, in southern locations of the island.
• Estimated services, sold, and installed products offered by our company and other
national businesses related to aluminum work to hundreds of homes, schools, and
government buildings.
• Assembled and installed products with numerous hand and power tools.

May 2012 – Oct 2012 - Marketing Consultant at Hotel Meliá, Ponce, PR
• Identified, developed, and evaluated various marketing strategies based on knowledge
of company objectives and market trends.
• Developed plans, alternative solutions, and campaigns for all marketing projects while
attempting to decrease the budget by the thousands in investment allowance.
• Assisted in numerous attempts to acquire subcontracted advertising professionals to
increase customer traffic and maximize profit.

Additional Skills:
• Solid subject knowledge of postcolonial perspectives, anticolonial theory, subaltern studies, oppression, and racial identity theory.
• Interpersonal communication and networking skills.
• Fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Leadership, supervisory, and administrative skills.
• Knowledge of culture of inclusion, equity, and social justice.