The Gift of Friendship: 30 Years of Scholarship En Conjunto
Discover how 30 years of friendship, scholarship, and community continue to shape HTI’s en conjunto legacy.
~3 min read
“Look around,” Dr. Raúl Zegarra (HTI Graduate, HTI Editor, HTI PDC Faculty, HTI Curriculum Review Committee Member, HTI Mentor) urged at the close of HTI’s June lecture during its Professional Development Conference. “These are your friends.”
In those few words, Zegarra captured something at the heart of HTI for the past 30 years: the conviction that scholarship flourishes through relationships.
Teología Vivida: Early-Career Scholars on Latine Lived Theology, moderated by Dr. Héctor Varela-Rios (HTI Graduate, HTI ECA Member) and Dr. Zegarra, brought together Dr. James Padilioni, Dr. Claudia Helena Herrera, Dr. Ish Ruiz, Dr. Geoffrey Nelson-Blake (HTI Graduate), Dr. Crystal Silva McCormick (HTI Graduate, HTI ECA Member), Dr. Mónica Rey (HTI Graduate), and Dr. Grace Vargas (HTI Graduate, HTI ECA Member, Perspectivas Technical Services & Co-Book Review Editor). These scholars are contributors to a forthcoming volume exploring Latine lived theology.
The project itself reflects HTI’s en conjunto spirit. The contributors gathered to workshop their ideas, allowing their scholarship to “cross-pollinate” through conversation and shared imagination. What began among longtime friends became a collaborative project shaped by community.
For Zegarra, who has returned to HTI’s Professional Development Conference for 12 consecutive years, that connection is no coincidence. The book, he reflected, is a product of scholarship, but also friendship, fostered within “a community that...has been built for 30 years.”
As HTI prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, Zegarra’s words offer an invitation to reflect on what makes this work possible:
As HTI prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, Zegarra’s words offer an invitation to reflect on what makes this work possible:
“Look around...These are your friends. These will be your friends for many years, but also your collaborators, your co-authors, your conspirators...and this is a beautiful gift.”
— Dr. Raúl Zegarra
For 30 years, HTI has created spaces where relationships like these can take root. This November, the HTI community will gather once again at the HTI 30th Anniversary Banquet during AAR/SBL Annual Meetings.
If you have not yet registered, we invite you to join us to celebrate 30 years of scholarship, friendship, and transformation, and look toward the next 30 years we will build together.
If you have not yet registered, we invite you to join us to celebrate 30 years of scholarship, friendship, and transformation, and look toward the next 30 years we will build together.
Come Celebrate 30 Years of HTI
Join friends and colleagues from across the HTI community for an evening of celebration and connection.
Register Now →