As part of this recognition, he will teach an undergraduate course in Sagrado’s Creative Writing and Literature Program.
By Sagrado’s Creative Writing Program
The School of Arts, Design, and Creative Industries (EADIC) at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón recognized Creative Writing master’s student Esdras M. Millán Borrero with the Primera Docencia Award. As part of this recognition, he will receive a teaching experience opportunity with the support of the program’s academic leader, Dr. Mara Pastor Rodríguez, and/or his graduate project mentor. This marks the third year that the recognition has been awarded to a graduate student in the program.
“This award, now in its fourth consecutive year, reaffirms our commitment to an educational model that integrates teaching practice with creative writing, allowing our students to engage in meaningful mentorship and teaching experiences during their graduate studies,” said Pastor Rodríguez.
From the Graduate School’s perspective, the recognition is also intended as an opportunity to strengthen graduate students’ academic and professional development through applied teaching and mentorship experiences.
“With this course, Esdras begins his teaching journey — a dream achieved and brought to life. At Sagrado, we learn by doing, and this is an innovation in how we prepare future professors,” expressed architect Javier De Jesús Martínez, dean of EADIC.
Millán Borrero has distinguished himself professionally by integrating scientific research with literary creation and editorial work. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Creative Writing at Sagrado and holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, an academic background that has strengthened both his analytical and narrative thinking.
During Summer Session 2 of 2026, he will teach the course Digital Narratives Workshop. This experience will include individualized mentorship and a scholarship equivalent to the cost of one graduate-level course during his final semester.
“Beyond being a great privilege, receiving this award is a way of living writing. Surrounding myself with contemporary Puerto Rican writers is an opportunity to grow both as an individual and as a writer,” said the student, who was selected through a faculty recommendation process within the Graduate Creative Writing Program during the 2025–2026 academic year.
Learn More About the Creative Writing Program
The Creative Writing Program at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón establishes Sagrado as a pioneering institution in this field. Since 2004, it has offered the first Spanish-language master’s degree in creative writing in U.S. territory, in addition to the only undergraduate program of its kind in Puerto Rico and a dual-degree option that allows students to complete both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years. By 2025, the program had more than 100 undergraduate students and 21 master’s students enrolled. In August 2026, the institution will launch its first Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature, further strengthening Sagrado’s vision as a university dedicated to teaching, research, and knowledge creation.
To learn more about this and other academic programs offered by the School of Arts, visit www.sagrado.edu/escueladeartes.
About the Student
Esdras Millán Borrero
Esdras N. Millán Borrero is a Puerto Rican writer and editor who holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Creative Writing at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón. He serves as an editor for the digital magazine La Corcheta. He is the author of the short stories “Federal Office of Suicide” and “The Curse of the Highway,” both published in La Corcheta, and is currently preparing his first anthology, Deaths Told and Lived, which is under editorial development with Editorial La Arboleda Azul. In 2026, he received a scholarship through the 700 Words competition organized by the Escuela de Escritores de Madrid.