Cesar is from Cempoala, a small town in the Mexican state of Veracruz. He attended Tecnologico de Monterrey where he majored in biotech engineering and minored in bioprocesses. As a student at Tec de Monterrey, Cesar had the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. He also volunteered as a Catholic missionary, as an addictions prevention counselor and basic informatics tutor for adults. More recently, Cesar completed his Master of Public Health in environmental health at the University of Minnesota, while working as a member of Team Diarrhea at the Minnesota Department of Health. There, Cesar performed surveillance and investigations of foodborne disease outbreaks. After graduating, Cesar went back to Mexico and worked at a nuclear power plant as an engineering interpreter.