Two Saudi students, who drowned while rescuing American children from a Massachusetts river, were granted an honorary Bachelors degree by their respective universities, reported the Saudi Press Agency. A ceremony in commemoration of Theeb Al-Yami and Jasser Al Rakah’s bravery and heroism was held at the Western New England University in Massachusetts. The university awarded Raqah an honorary Bachelors degree in civil engineering, while the University of Hartford awarded Yami with a Bachelors degree in engineering. Western New England University President Dr. Anthony Caprio expressed the institution and academic community’s gratitude for the Saudi students, who sacrificed their lives in July while trying to save two children from drowning in the Chicopee river. The commemoration was attended by deputy Saudi Ambassador Sami Al-Sadhan, Cultural Attaché at the Saudi Embassy Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, Consul General in New York Khalid Al-Sharif and relatives of the two students, as well as a number of US academic professors and members of the Islamic community in the state.