Curtis was born and raised in Virginia. He earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and his masters from George Mason University. While working on his masters, Curtis interned at the Obama Foundation in the Programs Department as part of its education team. His time there was focused on understanding how people learn and become civically engaged. Curtis worked as an organizer mobilizing in communities of color and educating voters who recently had their voting rights restored. He continued to organize during both the 2020 Iowa Caucus and during the general election in Arizona. He later became the Constituent Advocate as well as a Legislative Correspondent for Senator Mark R. Warner in Washington, D.C. Curtis is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Political Science at Syracuse University as a McNair Scholar. His research focus is on American Politics with an emphasis on the U.S. Presidency, legislative behavior of members of Congress, race and representation in Congress, and congressional committees.