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Avery Wise, a Woodbridge teenager and EMT who earned national recognition and the Passion for Public Service Scholarship from the National Society of High School Scholars, has been recognized for his community service in official Congressional Records.
Congressman Eugene Vindman, who represents Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, submitted a statement to the Congressional Record honoring Wise’s “outstanding service” to the community.
Wise, 18, has been working as an EMT at the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department for over a year. InsideNoVa featured him in a front-page story earlier this month.
In the Congressional Record, Vindman recounted an experience Wise had when he was just two months into training as an EMT. In January 2025, Wise was at the fire station in Woodbridge completing training on intubation skills when a call came in for a 73-year-old woman who had stopped breathing.
When Wise arrived, another unit on the scene had already started chest compressions, and Wise was given the opportunity to put in an airway, which consists of placing a tube down the patient’s throat and attaching a breathing device to it.
“So I go ahead and I place it in, and it works well, I get a good response on the ventilations,” he said in an interview with InsideNoVa. Eventually, they loaded the patient into the ambulance and drove her to the hospital. During the drive, Wise said, he sat by the patient’s head, “breathing for her, making sure that her chest is rising adequately.”
The patient was later discharged from the hospital, healthy.
“This experience didn’t deter him, instead it strengthened his commitment to public service and deepened his understanding of what it truly means to serve, no matter how big or small the call could be,” the Congressional Record reads.
Vindman also recognized some of Wise’s other achievements, including his membership of the Trail Life USA scouting program for over 11 years, serving in multiple leadership roles, including first officer and high school chaplain. Wise took on the responsibility of assisting the troop master in management and communicating with the committee chair to discuss ways to improve the organization.
Wise is also a varsity basketball player with the Northern Virginia Homeschool Athletic Association.
“I want to personally thank EMT Wise for his dedication to serving his community and I wish him continued success as he works toward becoming a crew leader within his EMT team,” Vindman concluded. “I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing EMT Wise for his courage, leadership and selfless service, which stands as an inspiration to us all.”
