Meet Juan Terrazas | Inspirational Speaker & Youth Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Juan Terrazas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juan, what are you inspired by?
I’m inspired by individuals who continue to overcome adversity. In spite of any opposition, they keep pressing through. I enjoy listening to motivational speakers such as Les Brown, Eric Thomas, and many more. Their testimonies remind me of the hardships I encountered growing up. As I listen to them, I think to myself, “If they can make a difference with their lives, I can, too.” Knowing there have been people who have gone before me, I can look to them as examples to follow.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My heart and passion is to help the youth navigate through life’s difficult challenges. I’m a motivational speaker with Scholar System, and I work full-time for a non-profit called Path United. At Path United, we establish community centers in mobile home park, where I mentor youth. I got here through networking. I met people that believed in me and made the connections for me.

At age fourteen, I faced various challenges. My father was deported back to Mexico, and my mother had to return. I was kick out soon after by my cousin’s boyfriend, and I was left to fend for myself. I jumped around from place to place throughout high school. It was one of the most difficult situation I lived through. During my difficult moments, I realized it was more than about overcoming. I learned to embrace adversity. Embracing adversity taught me to confront my issues and not run away. It was no longer about the destination but about who I was becoming in the process. I managed to overcome by learning a few essential tools. 1) Building a Positive Community: I deliberately chose positive people to surround myself with. 2) Developing a vision: I learned to envision making an impact with my life and not being the victim. 3) Discovering me: I began to recognize I had hidden gems, such as my mind. As I started learning about how my mind worked, I learned to put it to work for me-poor thoughts equal a poor attitude, but positive thoughts equal a positive attitude. That simple fact made a difference on how I lived my life.

I want the world to know the importance of embracing adversity. Challenges can either make you bitter or better. This is what my story is about. If I could give anyone any piece of advice, it would be to be intentional about confronting their challenges. Program your mind, or your mind will automatically be programed by life. What steps you take today will determine where you will be tomorrow. Be intentional about who you are becoming.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Day 1:
Morning: Start with breakfast at The Little Barn in downtown Lawrenceville. Enjoy the southern breakfast to kick off the visit.
Afternoon: Explore downtown Lawrenceville. Visit The Aurora Theater to see if there’s a live-action play we might enjoy.
Evening: Have dinner at La Hacienda in downtown Lawrenceville.

Day 2:
Morning: Relax with a morning coffee from Boulder Creek
Afternoon: Head to a Gwinnett Stripers game. Enjoy the local sports atmosphere.
Evening: Dinner at McCray’s Tavern in Lawrenceville

Day 3: Discover Atlanta – CityPASS Day 1
Morning: Head to Atlanta. Use the Atlanta CityPASS to visit the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola.
Afternoon: Grab lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and visit the Centennial Olympic Park to relax and people-watch.
Evening: Dinner at in Lizzy’s Cantina in downtown Atlanta.

Day 4: Atlanta Exploration – CityPASS Day 2
Morning: Continue with the CityPASS adventure at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame
Afternoon: Head to Zoo Atlanta to enjoy the park.
Evening: Enjoy dinner at Margaritaville – Atlanta

Day 5:
Morning: Spend a relaxed morning at the Mall of Georgia for some shopping or catching a movie.
Afternoon: Head back to Lawrenceville for some downtime at Reyna’s Coffee Shop
Evening: Get Pizza at Cosmo’s on the Square in Downtown Lawrenceville

Day 6:
Morning: Head over to Stone Mountain for a small hike and explore Stone Mountain Park
Afternoon: Picnic or relax in the park, enjoying nature and catching up.
Evening: Get delicious fried rice and wings from Wings & Philly from South Clayton St in Downtown Lawrenceville.

Day 7: Farewell Day
Morning: Enjoy a final breakfast at a The Little Barn.
Afternoon: Visit Slow Pour for a drink
Evening: Get dinner at The Flying Machine Restaurant and watch some airplanes takeoff.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Throughout my life, I’ve had different people step in to support and mentor me. As a teenager, I had David Funke and Youth With a Mission Dallas. Also, Dallas Metro. In between those two organization, they taught me how to walk by faith and to hope and believe for the best. I also had my youth pastor, Dustan Sample, who became like a father to me. There’s Scott Robson, who used to pick me up to take me to a man’s small group, so I could learn from other men. Ed Blair who helped me published my first book, “Left In America: Story of Juan Terrazas.” My high school English Teacher, Mr. Morton, made one of the greatest impacts in my life. Because of him, I believe that I could pursue a higher education. I learned how to play chess because of him. By learning how to play the game, it taught me how to make my moves in life strategically.

The people at Education is Freedom in Dallas gave me a fighting chance to start my college career. Through them I was able to get a scholarship that helped me get through community college. My in-law encouraged me to finish my Bachelor’s degree. Because of them, I became the first in my family to obtain a higher education.

Currently, I have two people I want to shoutout, Scholar System’s Dr. Victor Rios and Path United’s Jim Hollandworth. In the past few years, Dr. Victor Rios has given me an opportunity to develop as a speaker to impact the youth. As for Jim, he has mentored me for the past 7 years. His wisdom and experience has empowered me to mentor youth in Lawrenceville, GA.

There has never been just one person. I’ve had multiple people impact my life. I credit my success to everyone I mentioned here, though this list is not exhausted.

Website: https://www.juanterrazas.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealjuant/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-terrazas-castillo/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaRealJuanton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realjuant

Youtube: https://youtu.be/NkqP-QYPjLA

Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXxx2HG7k-0

http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1686526623?ls=1&app=itunes

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/157429146

Image Credits
Mike Desai, Latin American Association, and Church on Main – Snellville