A teenager who saved a boy from drowning at a Santa Cruz beach last month met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Aug. 17.
Ryder Williams, 16, was joined by his family, several other California State Parks lifeguards, and the boy whose life he saved, Nathaniel Ray.
President Donald Trump previously said in a July 28 social media post that he would honor the 16-year-old lifeguard who saved a boy from drowning in California on July 25.
Williams sat next to the president’s right in the Oval Office, while Ray sat to his left on a couch, joined by his family, as shown in a video on the White House’s official YouTube page.
“What you did was incredible, and everybody saw it,” said the president to the Santa Cruz teen.
Teenager saves boy at Santa Cruz beach
The rescue at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz, about 72 miles from San Francisco, was captured on video and was widely circulated on social media. Footage shows the lifeguard holding onto the boy even as the two repeatedly get battered by waves that keep pulling them back into the surf. The teenager was also shown struggling to rescue the 10-year-old.
Bystanders were also seen attempting to help the two as they kept getting sucked back into the water. Eventually, the lifeguard was able to pull the boy safely to shore.
The rescue deserves the country’s highest honor, Trump said on Tuesday, July 28.
What is a high civilian honor?
A high civilian honor is a prestigious non-military award that the government gives to recognize individuals for their exceptional lifetime achievements, cultural contributions or exemplary service to society. It’s unclear what high civilian honor Trump might bestow upon the lifeguard, but here are the possibilities:
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California teen welcomed to White House after save on Santa Cruz beach
Reporting by Michelle Del Rey and Ernesto Centeno Araujo, USA TODAY / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Michelle Del Rey and Ernesto Centeno Araujo, USA TODAY | USA TODAY Network
