December 2022

Dear Friends,

After two-and-a-half years of being unable to meet in person, we finally met again on November 19th during the HTI reception at the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature annual meetings. It was amazing!!! The excitement and joy were palpable and contagious among the 350 plus in attendance, including consortium member deans/presidents, faculty, publishers, partners, graduates, and HTI Scholars. At AAR/SBL, many Latinx graduates presented, and we had the great pleasure of hearing Dr. Mayra Rivera, the first Latina president of the AAR and an HTI graduate, give the presidential address. Dr. Loida Martell was also celebrated and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars of Religion. These celebrations demonstrate how HTI continues to show up with joy and grace while living in the wake of a global pandemic. HTI’s mission of forming Latinx PhDs for leadership in the academy, the church, and the world remains more pressing than ever.
 
The pandemic wreaked havoc on the world and especially on communities of color. The effects of the pandemic still need to be fully explored; it will take years to understand them completely. In the meantime, the work that HTI does must go on. During the pandemic, HTI had the highest number of graduates and received the highest level of funding in its history. With these funds, we could provide HTI scholars with En Conjunto Fellowships and Capacity Building Funds they desperately needed to not drop out of their programs. HTI also used the funds to work en conjunto with the Hispanic Summer Program (HSP) and the Hispanic Youth Leadership Academy (HYLA) to support master-level students in building solid applications for admissions to PhD programs. The program for masters students also provides an elective course for credit and a mentoring component. These are just a few of the programs HTI offers to ensure the advancement of Latinx scholarship and leadership in the broader landscape of theological and religious education.
 
We at HTI are incredibly proud of all the work and service that HTI graduates continue to do en conjunto in multiple settings! With much gratitude, we acknowledge how vital the support of our partners, program coordinators, and faculty has been in pushing forward the journey of HTI scholars. HTI continues to advocate for the Latinx voice in theological and religious education. We invite you to join our mission to cultivate Latinx PhD students nationwide! HTI is made possible through the myriad of supporters who have contributed their time, treasure, and talents to make our mission a reality. We invite you to prayerfully consider giving to HTI and be part of its mission and vision in 2023 (all donations are tax-deductible).

Wishing you and yours a blessed and joyful holiday/advent season!

Rev. Joanne Rodríguez
Executive Director
Hispanic Theological Initiative