ORLANDO, Fla. — This December, at the age of 47, Tepatondere Teta Derosege became a firefighter with Orange County Fire and Rescue.
“It was very good. I am working with a great team and they are challenging me,” Tepatondere Teta Derosege said.
“I am made for this. God gave me these skills. I can do this,” Tepatondere Teta Derosege said.
In 2023, Lynx Tepatondere Teta Derosege was certified as a fire academy on his third attempt and became a member of the department’s Certification Class 104.
Training in Orlando was just one hurdle he had to overcome growing up in another country.
Read: Report: DEA operation arrests head of Orlando-based drug trafficking organization
When naming him, his parents gave him the first name Lynx, after his father’s Boy Scout nickname.
In Belgium, the government does not allow names to be the names of animals, and he chose not to change it, so for years his ID card looked different without his name. It was.
first name:
Surname: Tepatondere Teta Derosege
Tepatondere Teta Delosege was 18 years old when he was playing professional basketball for Spirou Basket Charleroi in Belgium.
READ: Pedestrian dies after car crash on Merritt Island, police say
He attended college in Pembroke, North Carolina and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education.
After graduating from university, he returned to Belgium, where he played semi-professional basketball and continued to work as a physical trainer.
Tepatondele Teta Delozege later owned a gym but eventually went out of business.
In 2010, Tepatondere Teta Derosege registered for the green card lottery to become a U.S. resident.
Seven years later, he received his card and immigrated to the United States. That’s when he noticed that his first name had been added by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The agency gave him the name Fnu, short for First Name Unknown.
He plans to become a U.S. citizen as Lynx Jean Marie Teta Derosege Tepatondere while finding his career.
He wants to add Jean-Marie as his middle name in honor of his father.
After graduating from paramedic school, he plans to become a citizen.
He believes that will happen within the next two years.
Read: Abandoned Pine Hills Church destroyed by fire was recently used for religious activities
Tepatondere Teta Derosege currently works at Fire Station 52 in Orlando.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. Click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.