Following the captivating debut of Jakob Thomson’s remarkable story in our initial article, “A Hero Among Us,” the admiration of many impressed Floridians poured in. Since then, we have seen Jakob receive well-deserved recognition through publicity and awards.

News channels have played a big role in publicizing Jakob’s heroic act. After our article, Luli Cortez at WPEC CBS 12 was the first to highlight the story with an interview. Since then, other channels like CBS Miami, WSVN, and  WPDE ABC 15 have covered the recent events of Jakob’s life. Social media has also played a significant role in getting the news out to the public, with the Palm Beach School District posting on X and the Boynton Beach Fire Rescue Department posted on Instagram. When I asked Jakob about the pressure this has put on him he said, ”I’m super bad with publicity and stuff, it was kind of nerve-wracking.” 

In the wake of hearing the news, Sarah Perry, the founder of the Aden Perry Good Samaritan and Scholarship Fund, reached out to the Boynton Beach Fire Department. From there, the department contacted Jakob’s parents.

Jakob was told that he was going to be getting a tour of the fire station. However, after entering the bay, he was met with a surprise crowd and cameras.  “It was at Boynton Beach Station 5, and their station is really nice. I was very interested in the tour, so I wasn’t thinking about a bunch of cameras,” Jakob explained.

Sarah Perry emerged from the group to greet Jakob and introduce herself. She explained the purpose of her foundation, which is named after her son, and presented Jakob with a scholarship. Jakob plans to use this scholarship to attend Palm Beach State College where he wants to study to join the Fire Academy.

Since Jakob was young, he has wanted to be a firefighter. He has family and friends who are firefighters who inspired this dream. This is what made it so perfect when Jakob received an invitation to join the Fire Explorer Program in Palm Beach Gardens, a weekly preliminary school for EMT and firefighting, while he was at the fire station. 

Jakob Thompson’s inspiring journey from everyday high school student to local hero has been wonderful to watch. We have seen the unexpected turns life can take, caused simply by an impulse to save someone’s life and the power of community support. I can’t wait to see where Jakob’s courage and dedication lead him next in both his career and life.