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.

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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.

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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.