Henry Requejo, like many others, spent years trying to find his true calling in life. Unlike most, however, he actually found his, and could not be happier.

Requejo, 28, was recently hired by the City of Fairfax Fire Department after nearly three years as a volunteer firefighter for the same department. Though the time spent becoming a professional firefighter was not long, the journey to it spanned almost three decades and two continents.

“It takes someone to be in that profession to understand that this is the best job in the world,” Requejo said. “I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to work with the City of Fairfax Fire Department and to serve the city itself.”

Requejo’s journey to the profession began at his birthplace of Lima, Peru, where he spent the first eight years of his life. Requejo said that life was difficult for his family and that his father feared that his children were not going to have enough opportunities to be successful in the future. So, seeking to give his children a better life, he decided to move the family to the United States. His father moved to Alexandria initially by himself in 1987, so that he could find a place for the family to live and a job to establish a financial foundation. In1989, Requejo, his mother, two brothers and sister followed.

Continue reading… Finding His Calling.