Trevor Gurski is not your average congressional intern.

The San Diego-area native is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree at Grand Canyon University, and he has already served in the U.S. Army. This summer, he’s interning for California Congressman Mike Garcia.

What You Need To Know

  • Congressional intern Trevor Gurski, of San Diego, saved the life of a visitor to Capitol Hill on June 16

  • Gurski applied the Heimlich maneuver to a choking child in the middle of a constituent tour group, saving their life

  • Gurski, an Army veteran and current college student, is interning for Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif.

  • Garcia, Gurski and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met to recognize and celebrate the intern's heroic act

“I met the congressman about a year ago [during] my deployment to Poland and just gave him a text,” Gurski said of his bond with Garcia and how he wound up interning in his office.

His time on Capitol Hill is not yet over, but it already has been memorable — on June 16, his intervention saved a young visitor to Capitol Hill.

“We were giving a staff-led tour to a family. It was about a group of 10, so it's a pretty big one and one of the constituents, their child started choking, and I saw the father trying to give the Heimlich [maneuver], was not effective at all,” said Gurski. “[The child] started turning purple and I was like oh my goodness, I gotta run over there before there's not enough time for medical intervention.”

Gurski successfully applied the Heimlich maneuver and saved the child’s life, a story Garcia proudly shared with the highest-ranking member of the House last week.

“You’re freaking amazing!” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said as he signed a photo of Gurski, McCarthy and Garcia from their meeting in Poland. The trio posed for a photo together recently at the Capitol as well to celebrate Gurski's heroism.

“I’d like to thank my intern and Army veteran, Trevor, who literally saved a child’s life during a Capitol tour. I first met Trevor in Poland, while he was on active duty, and we were so lucky to have him join the team this summer as an intern. I’m so proud of Trevor for his service to both our nation and the constituents of CA-27,” said Garcia in a statement to Spectrum News.

It’s not often that an intern has the chance to be a hero. But Gurski remains humble about what happened.

“[I’m] grateful and blessed that he gave me the opportunity to come over here,” Gurski said.

It was an opportunity that led to saving a child’s life.