Brian Shaw scholarship winner named at Allegheny County Police Academy graduation

An Allegheny County Police Academy cadet from Green Tree was awarded the Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship on Friday.

Shaw, of Lower Burrell, was a New Kensington police officer who was shot and killed after a traffic stop and foot chase in 2017. He was 25.

Nicholas Rajakovich, 26, won the scholarship as well as the Academic Achievement Award during Friday’s graduation ceremony at the county police training academy in North Park.

When talking about the award, Rajakovich’s mother, Audrey, with tear-filled eyes, said she was proud of her son.

“He was adopted from Russia, and now he will defend those here in America,” she said.

The scholarships are critical to helping police cadets financially, as they cannot take out traditional educational loans like other students at colleges and universities, said Robert Cifrulak, deputy director of the county police academy.

The scholarship award was for $6,000.

But the award was about more than money, Rajakovich and his father said.

“It’s a great honor,” said Florian Rajakovich, the cadet’s father.

His son echoed his sentiments and said winning the scholarship came as a complete surprise.

“I’m insanely honored,” said Nicholas Rajakovich. “Any one of the cadets could have won.”

Rajakovich was among 19 cadets who graduated from the academy. The training is tough and intense, and not all cadets make it through the six-month program, academy officials said.

Shaw’s father, Stephan Shaw, attended the ceremony and congratulated Rajakovich.

After graduation, Rajakovich will start a job as a deputy in the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

Shaw’s family and friends set up the scholarship fund to honor Brian Shaw’s memory and his focus on community-oriented policing. Shaw graduated from the academy in 2015.

Proceeds from a popular motorcycle fundraising ride help pay for two scholarships awarded annually to an Allegheny County Police Academy cadet. This year’s ride will be Aug. 13.

This is the seventh person to receive the Shaw memorial scholarship, said Terry McClain, president of the committee that created the Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Fund.

“Shaw embodied humility, integrity, dedication and compassion — an important quality for every police officer to have,” McClain said.

Scholarship candidates must submit an essay. A Shaw scholarship committee reviews the submissions.

To learn more about the Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship and ride, visit shawride.org.