A Chicago teen, who recently completed her emergency medical technician (EMT) training, is being praised for her quick thinking for performing CPR on a 5-year-old girl who was pulled from Lake Michigan unresponsive.

Kianti Champion and her family were enjoying a regular day at Rainbow Beach Tuesday when she said she heard cries for help. The 19-year-old tells ABC 7 Chicago the victim's mother dropped to the girl's feet in tears.

"We were all at the beach enjoying our day and it just turned out bad," Champion said to the news outlet. 

A swimmer pulled the girl's lifeless body out of the water. From there, Champion sprang into action and began using CPR techniques as bystanders waited for paramedics to arrive.

"So I'm like, we got to go and help," Champion explained. "So I ran over, just dropped everything and ran over, and I started compressions and I kept doing compressions until help came."

Champion credits her lifesaving skills to the Black Fire Brigade, an organization that provides training for Black men and women considering a career in fire and rescue service. Champion, whose mom is a nurse, wants to be a firefighter/EMT when she is older.

"Black Fire Brigade started a year ago to train kids for careers as paramedics and firefighters," Lt. Quention Curtis, President of Black Fire Brigade, said to Fox 32 Chicago. "One of the reasons we started this, the Black Fire Brigade, is to reduce the violence in the community. So our motto is: If you teach a kid to save a life, they'll be less likely to take a life."

Per the Chicago Park District, there are no lifeguards on duty after 7 p.m., and Chicago police officials launched a probe into the incident.

The victim was transported to a nearby hospital and her family decided not to reveal her condition to the media. While many are hailing Champion as a heroine, the young woman can't help but think of the little girl still fighting for her life.

"That's all I've been thinking about is her. I've been hoping. I've just been praying. I hope she's OK," she said.