Juan Carlos Rodriguez

Dr. Juan Carlos Rodríguez
September 9, 1975 – July, 19, 2026

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Juan Carlos Rodríguez, a beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle, friend, scholar, poet, filmmaker, musician, and professor. Throughout his life, Juan Carlos inspired countless people with his extraordinary intellect, boundless curiosity, artistic creativity, generosity, and unwavering commitment to education, culture, and social justice.

Born on September 5, 1975, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Juan Carlos displayed a remarkable love of learning from an early age. His teachers remembered him as an exceptionally bright and curious child who enjoyed thoughtful conversations with people of all ages. He grew up in Río Piedras, where his faith and commitment to serving others were nurtured through his active involvement with the Iglesia Evangélica Unida de la Calle Arzuaga. The values of compassion, justice, and community that he embraced there became guiding principles throughout his life.

Juan Carlos earned his Bachelor of Arts in Public Communications, magna cum laude, from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, in 1997. While there, he developed a lifelong passion for music and the performing arts as a member of the University Chorus and Teatro Lírico. He later earned a Master of Arts in Cinema from the College of Staten Island, City University of New York, where he became part of New York’s Puerto Rican cultural community and performed with the salsa band Los Charlatanes. He completed his Ph.D. in Literature at Duke University in 2007, launching an academic career dedicated to Latin American documentary film, memory, urban studies, environmental justice, and digital humanities.

After teaching at the University of Puerto Rico and Rice University, Juan Carlos joined the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2008 as Assistant Professor of Spanish and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2015. A gifted educator and internationally respected scholar, he inspired generations of students through his teaching, mentorship, and interdisciplinary research. He served as Co-Director of the Atlanta Global Studies Center and founded Georgia Tech’s Global Media Festival: Sustainability Across Languages and Cultures, creating spaces where scholarship, creativity, and community could come together.

One of Juan Carlos’s most meaningful contributions was Vieques Struggle: A Digital Video Archive, a pioneering digital humanities project dedicated to preserving the testimonies of those who fought for the demilitarization of Vieques, Puerto Rico. This work became the foundation for his acclaimed feature-length documentary, Vieques: Archivo Vivo (Vieques: A Living Archive) (2024), preserving the history, resilience, and voices of the people of Vieques for future generations.

Juan Carlos believed that documentaries were far more than films—they were living archives of memory and powerful instruments for social transformation. He taught us that documentary cinema has the power to preserve collective memory, question structures of power, generate knowledge, and strengthen communities. Through his scholarship, teaching, and filmmaking, he demonstrated that every story has the ability to deepen our understanding of history, amplify voices too often unheard, and inspire dialogue, justice, and hope. This vision became the hallmark of his life’s work and the legacy he leaves to his students, colleagues, and communities around the world.

Beyond his academic accomplishments, Juan Carlos was an accomplished poet, filmmaker, musician, and devoted advocate for Puerto Rican and Latin American culture. His poetry earned numerous distinctions, including the El Nuevo Día Young Poet Award and honorable mentions from the Puerto Rico National Poetry Prize. Whether writing, teaching, singing, or making films, he approached every endeavor with humility, generosity, creativity, and an unwavering belief in the transformative power of art and education.

Above all, Juan Carlos cherished his family. In 2008, he married the love of his life, Cynthia Roman-Hernandez, and together they built a home filled with love, faith, laughter, music, and friendship. In 2012, they welcomed their beloved son, Gustavo, who became the greatest joy of his life. Those who knew Juan Carlos will remember not only his brilliant mind, but also his kindness, warmth, gentle spirit, caring smile, beautiful singing voice, and his remarkable ability to make everyone feel welcomed, valued, and heard.

Dr. Juan Carlos Rodríguez is survived by his devoted wife, Cynthia Roman-Hernandez; his beloved son, Gustavo; his mother, Carmen Josefina Rodriguez; his siblings; his extended family; and countless friends, colleagues, former students, and loved ones whose lives were enriched by his wisdom, compassion, and friendship.

“Give me to drink the water where the earth swims, moist with the seed of all things. Give me your water, because I long to drift from shore to shore in the manner of the island that moistens its tongue and moves away from its origin.”

— Juan Carlos Rodríguez, Tales de Mileto