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In 2013, Tonyaa decided to parlay her journalistic experience and research trips to Cuba, Grenada, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Haiti, Mexico and other nations in the Afro-Latin diaspora into a graduate degree. She holds a masters degree in mass communications from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, and a masters certificate in Latin American Studies. Tonyaa's thesis research examined the impact of cable news on rural residents' views of their Latino neighbors.  She also presented an academic paper on that topic at the 2019 Latin American Studies Congress in Boston.

Tonyaa also worked as a graduate instructor and adjunct professor at UF, and frequently lectures on journalism and her research on Cuba and the Afro-Latin diaspora. Her work can be found on Academia.edu