PCC student named Citizen of the Year for “acts of courage”

Mr. Dyze Ngirmeriil, a freshman at Palau Community College (PCC), was named the 2020 Citizen of the Year by the Office of the President for numerous “acts of courage”, which include rescuing a four-year-old girl from drowning.
A statement from the Office of the President, delivered by Press Secretary Olkeriil Kazuo yesterday at the Employee Appreciation Day celebration, called Mr. Ngirmeriil a “great role-model for his generation”, adding that his “selfless acts truly reflect the spirit of good citizenship”.
In September of this year, Mr. Ngirmeriil administered CPR to a four-year-old girl who had fallen unconscious while swimming at Long Island, which allowed her to breathe regularly until a rescue vehicle arrived.
“Recalling what he’d learned from a CPR class he’d taken, he assessed her condition, and in no more than ten seconds he discovered that she . . . . was not breathing. [He] swiftly applied CPR, and helped the girl begin to breathe again,” the statement said.
The Office of the President cited two other recent instances in which Mr. Ngirmeriil provided medical attention to those in need. In October, he assisted a nurse at the Belau National Hospital in bringing an elderly patient who was suffering from a seizure safely to the ground. Even more recently, he assisted the victim of a car-accident until paramedics arrived at the scene.
“[Mr. Ngirmeriil’s] acts of courage deserve to be recognized as an example to all of the people of the Republic of Palau,” the Office of the President said.
Mr. Ngirmeriil was awarded $500 by President Remengesau yesterday at the Koror-Babeldaob Bridge.
Mr. Ngirmeriil was chosen by the Office of the President from a list of nominees sent to Mr. Kazuo. Guidelines for the award stressed that nominees should demonstrate commitment to service in their communities, should take extraordinary efforts to help their fellow Palauans, should combat “persistent problems” which affect the people of Palau, and should promote peace in Palauan society.