Now Open
The Vicki Soto Memorial Scholarship applications are now open. The Vicki Soto Memorial Scholarships, based in Stratford, offers a four-year renewable award totaling $12,000.
Each year, a scholarship committee selects four recipients. The first two awards are designated for local high schools in Stratford; however, the scholarship has been expanded to include candidates from across the state and nation. Specifically, one recipient from Connecticut and one from outside the state will each receive a renewable scholarship of up to $12,000.
All recipients are required to pursue a college degree in education at an accredited institution and must exhibit exceptional performance in academics, extracurricular activities, and leadership capabilities. Additionally, candidates should embody the spirit of Living, Laughing, and Loving life and education, as exemplified by Vicki Soto.
Download this year’s scholarship application here:
https://www.teamvickisoto.com/_files/ugd/a5a7d3_ae15d777b86041af9dc1eb0c8dfa649c.pdf
Who was Vicki Soto?
Vicki was the loving first child of Donna and Carlos Soto of Stratford, CT. She was born on November 4, 1985, and was a joy to all who knew her from the moment she was born. She was a fun-loving sister to Jillian, Carlee, and Carlos Mathew. Most important to her was the “SOFACRO” gang, as the cousins call themselves. Vicki was the glue that held this family together. She organized all family events, including her favorite holiday, Christmas. She was the only one who could pick out that perfect tree! Secret Santa was a family tradition, as were outings with her cousins as often as they could all get together. She was a ball of energy and was always up for anything! Vicki had many friends and saw them often, but no one could ever replace her, Rachel. They were like sisters since meeting in their early days of college. She also loved her black lab Roxie, whom she would dress up – yes, dress up – and call her “Rita,” “Rita Ann,” “Rooney,” and “Angela,” for no apparent reason.
She was beautiful on the outside, with those gorgeous blue eyes, and she was smart. Some may even say “perfect” and funny with a contagious laugh. Although she was taken from us far too soon, Vicki lived life every day and knew beyond her years how precious life truly is. Her mantra was: Live, Laugh, Love. Every single day Vicki did just that. She lived life passionately, laughed often, and loved unconditionally.
Ms. Soto, as she was known to her first-grade students, was a passionate, dedicated, creative, funny, and loving Sandy Hook Elementary School teacher. Every day she was excited and eager to be in her classroom teaching her students. Her level of commitment to education went above and beyond. Her energy and enthusiasm radiated off of her, and she loved being in her classroom. From Math to Reading, Ms. Soto had a higher understanding of how children learned and taught such that all the children in her classroom were growing daily. She prided herself on being the “cool” teacher at school and loved to make the kids smile and laugh. Spirit Week was one of her favorite times – dressing up in mismatched outfits, crazy hair, or anything to make the kids laugh. She was the first one at school every day and the last to leave, planning each day to be the best it could be. She was passionate about teaching, and our hope is that through this fund, she will continue to inspire others to teach.
In her own words from her Facebook page:
Live, Laugh, Love
“Take too many pictures, laugh too much, forgive freely, and love like you’ve never been hurt. Life comes with no guarantee, no time outs, and no second chances. You just have to live life to the fullest, tell someone what they mean to you and tell someone off, speak out, dance in the pouring rain, hold someone’s hand, comfort a friend, fall asleep watching the sun come up, stay up late, be a flirt, and smile until your face hurts. Don’t be afraid to take chances or fall in love and most of all, live in the moment because every second you spend angry or upset is a second of happiness you can never get back.”
