Victoria Leigh Soto, American educator (b. 1985)
Victoria Leigh Soto (November 4, 1985 – December 14, 2012) was an American teacher who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. After the gunman entered the school, she hid her students; when the students later ran from their hiding places, she reportedly got shot four times by the gunman and died trying to shield them with her body. She has since been hailed as a hero. She is a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Plans and petitions to honor her by name via scholarships, roads, and schools were announced in late 2012 and 2013. The Stratford Town Council unanimously approved a resolution to name a school after Soto and the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, birthplace of Soto's father, is planning to name a public facility after her.