BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) – The Bronx alma mater of late NYPD officer Edgar Ordonez has offered his two children scholarships.
St Anselm School, a Catholic school in South Bronx, announced the scholarships Thursday during a funeral for the NYPD recruit who died earlier in July.
“Our school created the Teresa Lopes Memorial Scholarship to provide a perpetual scholarship to a deserving family. We are not a wealthy school but we believe in the importance on coming together when tragedy strikes,” a spokesperson for the school told PIX11 News. "We stand with the Ordonez family, and the members of the NYPD. As they grieve this loss and hope this scholarship may bring some measure of peace."
Ordonez, 33, died on July 10 after having a medical episode at a department training facility in the Bronx. On Thursday, city officials and loved ones remembered him as a humble, determined man who loved his twin children deeply.
Deputy Chief Amir Yakatally said Ordonez’s main inspiration to become an officer was to inspire his children. Yakatally read a writing from Ordonez, in which he described his motivation to become an officer.
“When I became a father, I knew that it was no longer about me, it was about them,” Ordonez wrote. “I just hope one day I will make them proud.”
To contribute to the scholarship fund, you can make a donation to St. Anselm School with the memo “scholarship.”
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered New York City since 2023. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.