One of the newest firefighters in the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is a former teacher who’s won many beauty pageants over the past 15 years.
"It was always the second dream,” Jordyn Goddard said. “I always had two dream jobs; I just happened to pursue one first."
Goddard, 28, was a school teacher in Prince George's County. Her mother was a paramedic; her father a firefighter. She asked them about trading the classroom for the firehouse.
"She said, 'What do you think?' Obviously I'm very concerned about it, knowing the hazards of this profession, said her father, Bill Goddard. “More so today than the days when I grew up."
And even more so during the coronavirus pandemic, when every firefighter faces new dangers. All the more reason to join the ranks, she said.
“There was never a doubt that that was going to send me the other way,” she said. “No way! I mean my job, and our job here, is to help people in their times of need, and that's what we're here to do."
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Goddard said her passion for community service grew during her pursuit of another passion.
“Pageants have been my hobby for many, many years," she said.
She competed locally, nationally and internationally for 15 years, winning multiple state pageants. She was runner-up for International Junior Miss and placed in the top 10 for Miss United States.
“It introduced me to the concept of volunteerism and serving the community, which is why — part of the reason why — I think I'm here now," she said.
She now serves as an assistant director for Miss College Park and is among more than 50 new cadets in Fairfax County.
"I relish the fact that I get to be part of a team and a family,” she said. “Literally a family that would lay down their lives for me, and I would do the same for them."
