HSP for Undergrads

This program is in partnership with the PASOS Network and is for undergraduate students who are interested in partaking in the in-person Summer Session and in the process of discerning graduate studies.

“HSP for Undergrads has been one of the greatest experiences I’ve had the honor of being a part of. This program helped me realize that completing my undergraduate degree is just the beginning, and helped me discover my purpose, vocation, and where my journey will go.” – Daniela Funes Rivera


Program Highlights 

  • Join a cohort of Latine/Hispanic undergraduates from across the country
  • Learn about the intersection of Latine/Hispanic Studies and Theology 
  • Experience a learning environment centering Latine/Hispanic ways of knowing
  • Earn three credits toward your degree
  • Explore questions of vocation and your next steps after graduation

Program Description 

HSP for Undergrads is a program in partnership with the PASOS Network that gives undergraduate students the opportunity to take a course at the intersection of Latine/Hispanic Studies and theology with a Latine/Hispanic professor (that is teaching at an ATS school) and, as an added level of support, engage in a discernment process about their next steps post-graduation through a workshop created specifically for them. This program overlaps with our Summer Session program for graduate students so undergraduates have the additionally opportunity to engage with graduate students pursuing a variety of professional careers.

Course Title and Description

U.S. Latinx Theology and Cultura: Imagining Teología Latinamente!

Contemporary Latinx scholarship has shaped and contributed directly to the broader U.S. theological and academic discourse by exploring and reflecting on the lived experiences and social locations among Latinx communities living in the United States. U.S. Latina/x/o theologies have claimed on lo cotidiano (our everyday life), the daily lived human experience, and the concrete particularities of la vida diaria as a source of theology –the way we know and reflect about God and God’s self-revelation in the ordinary. This course explores contemporary Latina/x theological voices reflecting on the concreteness of reality to think and imagine theology Latinamente. Yet, this is an ongoing and en conjunto task as the multilayered complexities of the Latinx communities continue changing and remain invisible within the dominant culture. Students in this course will actively reflect and relate to their lived human experiences and social locations as they discern their call to fully thrive and contribute to their communities. There will be opportunities to meet in communal settings and engage in vocational discernment through a Latinx framework.

Program Dates and Location

  • Dates: June 21 – 27, 2026
  • Location: Villanova University

Program Fee

  • $400 for undergraduate students
  • The program fee includes the cost of room, board, travel, and the three credits

Program Eligibility 

  • This program is open to undergraduate Junior or Senior students
  • Priority is given to students from PASOS Network institutions and HSP Sponsoring Schools 
  • Students do not need to be studying religion or theology to apply

Program Application

  • The application is open November 1, 2025 – April 15, 2026
  • The application requires one recommendation from a faculty member at your institution
    • The recommendation is due 1-week after the application closes: April 22, 2026
    • The applicant will automatically receive an email notification when a recommendation has been submitted
  • The notification of admission is typically made within two weeks of the application closing

Once an applicant has been accepted into the program they will receive an email with a matriculation form to accept their program admission. This matriculation form includes the process for paying the Program Fee and is due 2 weeks after the notification of admission.

The HSP accepts the following payment methods for the Program Fee after an individual has been accepted into the program:

  • Check: Please make checks payable to the Hispanic Scholars Program and mail to: Hispanic Scholars Program (42 Tiemann Place, Ste 310 New York, NY 10027)
  • PayPal: Payments may be submitted via PayPal using an existing account or by creating one and linking your credit card
  • Zelle: Zelle payments may be made to admin@hispanicscholarsprogram.org 

Please contact the HSP administrator, Elizabeth Niang (eniang@hispanicscholarsprogram.org), if you have any questions regarding payment options.

  • Travel: After you have been officially accepted to the program, submitted your matriculation form, and submitted the program fee, you may proceed with purchasing your travel to the program location. Upon purchasing your travel, you must submit your full travel itinerary via email to the HSP administrator, Elizabeth Niang (eniang@hispanicscholarsprogram.org).
  • Housing: All housing for the duration of the program is coordinated directly by the HSP. We recognize that travel schedules may require some participants to arrive prior to the program start date or depart after the program concludes. If you require housing outside of the official program dates, we will work with you to coordinate accommodations. Please note that the cost of any additional housing will be deducted from your travel reimbursement.

Since its first Summer Session in 1989, the Hispanic Scholars Program (HSP) has sought to be a place of welcome in which theological education is made available to all students. In keeping with this commitment, the HSP does not discriminate in its admissions or program practices on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, or any other status protected by law. Applicants are evaluated using program-related criteria such as academic preparation, vocational interest, character, and commitment to theological study. The HSP has always served students, faculty, staff, administrators, and leaders from a wide range of backgrounds. Guided by the values of en conjunto (working together as a community), lo cotidiano (attending to the realities of daily life), and acompañamiento (walking alongside one another), we affirm that all people are created in the image of God and journey together in learning and faith.

We guarantee that our courses are taught with excellence, our faculty hold terminal degrees and are in good standing in their field, and that all of our classes meet ATS accreditation standards. Please note that HSP courses are not intended to fulfill any one school’s academic requirement, as we offer a wide variety of courses during the J-Term, Summer Session, HSP for Undergrads, Doctoral Accompaniment Seminar, and Praxis of Accompaniment. If a school chooses to use one of our courses to fulfill their requirements, then that is within the school’s purview, but we see our courses as electives that add to and expand a student’s curriculum.

In accordance with ATS accreditation standards, students must attend all class sessions in order to receive credit for the HSP for Undergrads.

Albertus Magnus College

Benedictine University

Calumet College of Saint Joseph

Catholic Distance University

Catholic Theological Union

College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University

College of the Holy Cross

DePaul University

Dominican University

Edgewood College

Elms College

Gannon University

Gonzaga University

Holy Cross College

Lewis University

John Carroll University

Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Maryland

Marian University

Marquette University

Molloy University

Mount Mary University

Mount Saint Mary’s University

Northwestern University, Sheil Catholic Center

Notre Dame of Maryland University

Regis University

Saint Elizabeth University

Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame)

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Santa Clara University

Siena Heights University

St. Edward’s University

St. Mary’s University (San Antonio, TX)

University of Dayton

University of Notre Dame

University of St. Francis

University of St. Thomas – Minnesota

University of the Incarnate Word

Ursinus College

Valparaiso University

Villanova University

Facilitators

Armando Guerrero Estrada

Armando Guerrero Estrada serves as the Director of the PASOS Network at Dominican University and is a DACAmented theologian, whose scholarship examines the interlacing of theological education, theologies of migration, and immigrant literature. He is A.B.D at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. He received a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School, where he also earned graduate certificates in Latin American Studies and Religion and the Arts in Contemporary Culture, and was awarded the J.D. Owen Prize in Biblical Studies and the Academic Achievement Award. He holds a B.A. in Theology and Philosophical Studies from St. Joseph College and a B.A. in Spanish from Lamar University. His work can be found in Journal of Latina Critical Feminism, Afro-Hispanic Review, Religious Education Journal, Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology, Spanish and Portuguese Review, and the Lamar Journal of the Humanities.

Show More

Dr. Claudia Herrera-Montero

Dr. Herrera-Montero is a Catholic practical theologian and Assistant Professor of Theology at Dominican University. She is a native of Bogotá, Colombia where she pursued her undergraduate studies in International Relations and Political Sciences from Universidad del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary University). She holds an M.A. in Pastoral Ministries and a Ph.D. in Practical Theology from St. Thomas University in Miami, FL. Her scholarly work sits at the intersection of U.S. Latina/x theologies and practical theology. Her latest peer-review publications and presentations include Participatory Action Research (PAR) and the exploration of the faith identity, spirituality, and social contexts among first-generation college-age Latinas. Her research has also enabled her to better engage underrepresented communities in both the classroom and ministerial settings. 

Dr. Herrera comes to Dominican University with an experience in Catholic Higher education since 2010. Before her faculty appointment, she served as a lay minister, director of campus ministry, and theology faculty in the Archdiocese of Miami. In addition, she has contributed to the formation of Hispanic Ministry leaders from the Dioceses of the Southeast. Dr. Herrera serves as the Secretary of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS). As a Latina practical theologian, she draws from the spiritual and cultural wells of both the U.S. Latinx Catholic experience and the Latin American experience.

Show More

Andrew Mercado

Andrew Mercado serves as the Director of University Ministry at Dominican University. Andrew is passionate about holistic student formation, mission engagement in Catholic higher education, and accompanying students in exploring enduring questions about themselves and the world around them through the lens of spirituality and social justice. He is focused on cultivating supportive and inclusive communal spaces for students to actively engage in vocational discernment and reflect on how they can use their gifts and talents to build a more "just and humane society." As a first-generation student, Andrew is dedicated to promoting access, equity, and culturally sustaining practices in Catholic higher education to ensure that every student thrives during the formative years of their collegiate experience. Andrew has served in Vocation Ministry, chaplaincy with ALANA and first-generation students, and most recently as an Assistant Director of Campus Ministry. Andrew’s cultural roots are Colombian and Puerto Rican. His experience of growing up in a vibrant Catholic Latino community nourishes Andrew’s passion to serve and minister within the Church in a way that reflects, integrates, and celebrates the diversity of the people of God.

Show More

Apply Today

View Application