A Living Mosaic: 30 Years of HTI’s Story
A living mosaic of scholars, mentors, institutions, and relationships that have shaped HTI’s 30-year legacy of transformational impact.
~5 min read
From the Beginning, En Conjunto
For thirty years, the Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI) has strengthened the presence and contributions of Latine scholars in theological and religious education. Like a mosaic, that story has been shaped piece by piece through scholars and mentors, institutional partnerships, friendships, publications, resources, and generations committed to advancing theological education en conjunto.
“HTI did not simply support my degree; it transformed who I became,”
— Dr. Edwin David Aponte
Dr. Edwin David Aponte (HTI Graduate, HTIC Member Council and Steering Committee Chair) was part of HTI’s inaugural cohort and experienced that vision from its earliest years. At a crucial moment in his doctoral journey, HTI provided both the financial support and the community he needed to complete his degree. Yet, three decades later, Aponte says the enduring gift has been the comunidad that accompanied him throughout a career spanning service as a professor, academic dean, granting agency executive, and executive dean. “HTI did not simply support my degree; it transformed who I became,” he reflects. That transformation has come full circle as Aponte has dedicated his career to mentoring rising scholars and extending the support he once received to new generations.
A Legacy Taking Shape Today
The impact of that legacy can be seen in the journeys unfolding today. María Carolina Alderete (HTI First-Year Scholar) first encountered HTI through the Doctoral Accompaniment Seminar (DAS), a partnership among HTI, the Hispanic Scholars Program (HSP), and the Hispanic Youth Leadership Academy (HYLA). The experience gave her confidence to pursue doctoral studies and seek a community where, as she describes it, her “research can flourish” and her “spirit can smile.”
(First-Year Scholars)
Even though I am currently the first and only Latine faculty member at Eden Theological Seminary, I don't feel alone because of what I’ve experienced as an HTI scholar. I am deeply grateful to my HTI mentor, Xochitl Alvizo, for her encouragement when I thought I couldn't make it through my program.
— Dri Rivera
As scholars move forward, new pieces are added to the mosaic. Dri Rivera (HTI Dissertation-Year Scholar) carries HTI’s en conjunto spirit into their role as the first and only Latine faculty member at Eden Theological Seminary, sustained by the mentorship, relationships, and financial support they experienced through HTI. Fernando Berwig Silva (HTI Dissertation-Year Scholar) similarly describes HTI as enabling him to “survive and thrive” throughout his PhD, thanks to mentors, friends, resources, and connections.
Institutions as Part of the Mosaic
No single institution or individual creates this impact alone. HTI Consortium member schools form another essential part of the mosaic. Drew Theological School’s Dean Meredith Hoxie Schol (HTI Member Council Representative) describes HTI as transforming the isolation often associated with doctoral education into community, while Boston University School of Theology’s Dean G. Sujin Pak (HTI Member Council Representative), emphasizes the holistic academic, professional, personal, and spiritual support made possible through institutional partnership.
Partnerships, such as that with HTI, fosters a precious set of values for sustainability in the face of the potential shortcomings of the western academy: it centers the human being, embraces wholistic care, and cultivates joyous community. What precious gifts!
— Dean Sujin Pak
The Mosaic Continues
Thirty years later, the mosaic continues to expand as scholars become mentors and leaders, institutions deepen their partnerships, and relationships extend across generations. As Dr. Xochitl Alvizo (HTI Graduate, HTI En Conjunto Association Chair, HTI Mentor, HTI PDC Faculty, HTI ECO Faculty) reflects, HTI is ultimately “a network of relationships, collaboration, and accompaniment.” Its next thirty years are already taking shape through each person who adds their piece to a living mosaic of transformational impact.
Over the next thirty years, I hope HTI and its member institutions will continue to expand the imagination of scholars who move confidently between the academy, the church, and the community. It brings me great joy to think about the impact HTI can have over the next 30 years of expanding networks of belonging and mentorship, not only for the scholars involved but also for the future of theological education, which I believe will be strengthened when more voices and experiences shape its questions and possibilities.
— Dean Meredith Hoxie Schol
Professional Development Conference (2026)
These stories offer only a glimpse of the countless lives, relationships, and communities that have shaped HTI over the past 30 years. HTI is deeply grateful to all who have been part of this journey and looks forward with hope and excitement to all that the next 30 years will hold, en conjunto.
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