ANGEL TERRERO
FINDING CHRIST IN JUVENILE DETENTION
Angel Terrero was born in Cuba and immigrated to Miami with his family at the age of seven. Angel grew up in a complicated and challenging family environment and got into a lot of trouble as a teenager. Over time he lost interest in school.
His junior year, Angel was kicked out of high school and entered a juvenile detention center. It was in the detention center where he finished his high school education and heard the gospel for the first time. “I graduated but never went to a regular high school graduation,” said Angel. “School was always one thing that I wanted to go back to, but I felt that I wasn’t responsible enough because of my challenges when I was younger.”
At the age of 19, Angel entered a Christian rehabilitation facility. Through their program, he got connected to the church running the facility, and started serving with the worship team, teaching classes for the program, and preaching. Eventually, he got licensed as a minister by the church’s district.
In 2012, Angel wanted to go back to school. He says, “My youth pastor at the time was going to Trinity Florida. My uncle was going to Trinity Florida. And I would listed to a Spanish radio station, and the admissions director came up doing an interview. I just felt like God was leading me to pursue an education.” Angel called Trinity, met with the Admissions team, and started his program in March of 2012.
“If a person is looking for an institution that is truly connected to Christ and the gospel, an institution that integrates theology and a biblical worldview in different subjects and majors, Trinity Florida is the place to be. There, you will be mentored by professors and build lasting relationships with your peers.”
In May of 2016, Angel graduated with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Christian Ministries. However, he was aware that “in counseling, you have to get a master in order to do something with yourself. I figured that if I wanted to do something with myself, I had to commit to the process and jump back in it.” And so, he did. That very fall, Angel started his MA in Mental Health Counseling.
Angel graduated this past summer with his MA in MHC, and is currently in the process of getting licensed as a counselor in the state of Florida. He is also working with Youth for Christ. Interestingly, it was a missionary from that very organization who shared the gospel with him at the detention center when he was 16. Now, Angel is a staff member at that juvenile detention center, serving in the area of mental health and mentorship.
He says, “If a person is looking for an institution that is truly connected to Christ and the gospel, an institution that integrates theology and a biblical worldview in different subjects and majors, Trinity Florida is the place to be. There, you will be mentored by professors and build lasting relationships with your peers.”