TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Giovanni Hernandez Barrios, a brave 10-year-old fourth grader at Peter Howell Elementary School is being called a hero after saving his friend's life at school in February.
They were eating lunch in the cafeteria when Giovanni noticed his friend choking and sprung into action.
“He was looking down and holding his throat so I figured that he couldn’t breathe and then I heard the cough, so maybe like one or two milliseconds later I was helping him breathe. I did the Heimlich maneuver on him," Giovanni described.
Giovanni says he wants to be in the Marine Corps when he grows up because he feels they're the strongest, so he's always practicing their way of living and techniques.
"I'm learning to be a marine and I know that marines only have like a minute to eat, so I know how to process the food so that I don't choke, cause I eat real fast too," Giovanni said.
His friend saw what Giovanni was doing and tried to eat quickly with him.
"He wanted to know how I ate too, so he started shoving food into his mouth too," Giovanni added.
Giovanni said his instincts kicked in, got up and performed the abdominal thrust, also known as the Heimlich maneuver.
“You push, like pull, into the stomach right here," Giovanni explained.
He says since he's been studying to be a Marine, helping people is second nature.
On top of reading training materials, he also watches videos of emergency procedures.
“My mother got me a book about the human body and stuff and I also learned how to do the Heimlich maneuver and CPR," Giovanni said.
He said his friend was in shock after the food was expelled from his throat and thanked Giovanni with a hug.
"I thought of it as a gift from the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He's the one, I couldn't have done it without him. None of this would be happening if I wouldn't put my faith in him, Jesus," Giovanni expressed.
Giovanni already has a determination far beyond his years, knowing what it takes to be in the military.
“The Marines kind of don’t know how to stop fighting until they win, so that’s kinda how I am," says Giovanni.
Giovanni was awarded for his courage at his school assembly by Principal Jaquetta Alexander.
She said it was a moment when everybody was quiet, focused, listening, and interested in what happened.
"You could kind of feel it in the air that the other kids were impressed for one, and also the sense of Howell pride," Alexander said.
She said Giovanni took the microphone and talked about the incident at the assembly.
"He spoke from his heart and there was not a dry eye. Everybody was really touched with what he had to say, so it's been a moving time," Alexander continued.
Alexander says Giovanni is insightful, a great reader, has a lot to offer in the class, and adds a lot to conversations.
“I know Gio as a student, but to see that level of maturity and him just kind of taking over, just really impressed. Very proud, very honored he’s here at Howell," Alexander said.
The recognition didn’t stop there. The Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) also gave him an award for his heroism.
"Giovanni has shown us what it means to act with selflessness and courage in the face of an emergency. His quick thinking has made a big impact on his school community and sometimes our hero isn't always just the grown-ups or the staff members, sometimes our students demonstrate extraordinary heroism and define the word hero for us, the grown-ups. And that is the case tonight, as we recognize Giovanni Hernandez Barrios with the Superintendent Award for Excellence," said TUSD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo.
When I asked Giovanni what he thinks of all the recognition, he said, "I think I'm starting to become famous kinda."
Giovanni says his mom and dad taught him to never give up and always believe in himself.
He shares a message to his peers.
“To all the people that want to be a hero out there, go ahead. You can do a lot of good stuff," Giovanni said.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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