[Trinity] – Trinity Classical Academy’s Young Americans For Freedom (YAF) chapter will host Pastor Rafael Cruz as its next speaker Monday, May 4, at 7 p.m. This event is free, open to the public and will be held at Higher Vision Church , 28776 The Old Rd. in Valencia.

Father to presidential hopeful, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rafael Cruz embodies the American Dream. Born in Cuba under an oppressive dictator, he began fighting for the Cuban Revolution against President Fulgencio Batista’s regime as a teenager, and was imprisoned and tortured for his role in the revolution. Mr. Cruz immigrated to the U.S. in 1957, arriving in Texas with nothing but the clothes on his back and $100 sewn into his clothing. He got a job as a dishwasher, making 50 cents an hour, then worked his way through the University of Texas, all while learning to speak English. After graduation, Mr. Cruz built a small business in further pursuit of the American Dream.

Mr. Cruz became active in politics during the 1980 Presidential Campaign of Ronald Reagan as a grassroots activist. Today, he is a pastor based in North Texas serving as the Director of Purifying Fire Ministries, where he ministers in the U.S., Mexico and Central America. He is also a professor of Bible and Theology, and the president of Kingdom Translation Services. He is a sought after speaker with his message of hope for America.

Founded by William F. Buckley, Jr. in 1961 at his home in Sharon, Connecticut, Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) today promotes the principles of limited government, individual freedom, free enterprise, a strong national defense, and traditional values to our nation’s youth. In 2011, Young America’s Foundation unified with Young Americans for Freedom, which serves as the Foundation’s chapter affiliate on college and high school campuses across the country. It was Young America’s Foundation that stepped forward to save President Reagan’s Western White House, Rancho del Cielo, and preserve it as a living monument to Ronald Reagan and pass on his ideas to future generations.

In 2013, students at Trinity Classical Academy founded the Young Americans for Freedom chapter on their campus. Since then, they have been active, hosting events for the community, attending speaking engagements and conferences at the Reagan Ranch Center with key government leaders, as well as traveling each year to Washington, D.C. to attend the National High School Leadership Conference. In September, they organized 9/11: Never Forget Project for the second consecutive year by placing 2,977 American Flags on their campus lawn to honor each life lost. The students have also participated in YAF’s Freedom Week and in the Ronald Reagan Birthday Celebrations. Trinity’s YAF chapter has brought speakers Ben Shapiro and Michael Reagan to campus.

Founded in 2001, Trinity Classical Academy has grown from 28 students to over 550 in Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade, making it one of the largest classical, Christian schools in the country. The mission of Trinity Classical Academy has remained consistent: to offer a challenging education, grounded in the Christian faith and the classical tradition, to produce young men and women of virtue, wisdom, purpose and courage.