Double the fun – Meet the Goyco twins

Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Twins on duty photo

Meet the Goyco twins – Daniel and Mateo Goyco. They have the same interests, like the same foods, both earned the prestigious Eagle Scout, worked together as YMCA lifeguards, are avid soccer fans with the same favorite team, and brought their talents to TSA at the same time.

You might think they’re inseparable. They are!

“We are very close,” said Daniel. “We would always be in the same classes, have the same teachers and similar friends. We thrived to have our own different personalities but would still manage to have many likes and similarities. We finish each other’s sentences and often would order lunch for each other without even consulting what the other twin wanted.”

IAH twins photo
IAH TSA Officers Daniel (left) and Mateo Goyco. (Photo by Nsemeke Asuquo-Asang)

The 21-year-old Goyco twins joined TSA as screening officers at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in October 2019 and love every minute of it.

“Being part of TSA is a blessing,” Mateo exclaimed. “We love working at IAH and are always excited to come to work. We are grateful to get the chance to work at the same location. Not many people get a chance to work with their best friends, and we get to live that reality every day.”

The Goycos grew up wanting to follow in the footsteps of their father who served as a special agent in the government.

“We joined TSA to be part of a mission greater than ourselves,” Daniel noted. “Many people were pleasantly surprised we were able to go through the hiring process as a duo. We were blessed to have each other through every step of the way. To have a partner to practice pat-downs made the hiring process so much easier.”

Daniel and Mateo are among the very few Boy Scouts to ever achieve the Eagle Scout rank. In 2019, only 8% of all Scouts earned Eagle Scout status.

“To complete the Eagle Scout project, we embarked on a project to give back to the community,” explained Mateo, who collected two tons of canned food and nonperishable items for a local shelter for domestic violence victims. His brother raised three tons of pet food for families with animals at the shelter. The twins also negotiated with Walmart to donate food items with packaging defects and raised $2,000 for the shelter.

Not only are they serving their community and TSA, both Daniel and Mateo are also fulltime seniors at the University of Houston, majoring in psychology and minoring in Spanish.

IAH twins in gear photo
IAH TSA Officers Daniel (left) and Mateo Goyco masked for COVID-19 protection. (Photo by Nsemeke Asuquo-Asang)

They admit they’re both practical jokers, although IAH leadership calls the dynamic duo hardworking and dedicated officers.

“The Goyco twins are described as professional, respectful and amicable by their fellow colleagues,” said TSA Manager Nsemeke Asuquo-Asang. “They are a great asset to us here at Terminal C and the agency as a whole.”

Federal Security Director Juan Sanchez Jr. added, “They are two outstanding employees, and it’s always a pleasure speaking with them. They just put that smile on your face, and it’s a truly great feeling.”

“At a very young age, our parents instilled in us the importance of hard work and dedication,” Daniel replied. “They instilled in us that we have to thrive to be the best at any endeavor we set our minds to achieve. Our professionalism comes from the discipline we garnered from the Boy Scouts of America.”

Both twins see themselves moving up the ladder within government, and in five to ten years, they would like the opportunity to work as federal air marshals.

Mateo said, “Working at TSA is a dream come true. We have always had the urge to work for a government agency just like our father, and we get to start our careers in an amazing workforce at TSA IAH. The team we work with is phenomenal, and the management team is second to none. We have been the TSA Airport of the Year not once, but twice in a row. That speaks volumes of the team we have and the mission we embark on daily.”