Eastern Student Melissa Zablonski of Colchester Named Recipient of History Department's Victoria Leigh Soto Memorial Fund Scholarship for 2014-15 Academic Year

2015 Mar 9

Eastern student Melissa Zablonski '15 of Colchester, CT, was named as the recipient of the the History Department's Victoria Leigh Soto Memorial Fund Scholarship for the 2014-15 academic year. Zablonski's major is History and Social Science. The scholarship was created in honor of Eastern Connecticut State University alumna Victoria Leigh Soto '08, an elementary school teacher, who lost her life protecting her first-grade students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, on Dec. 14, 2012.

Soto was a dean's list student while she attended Eastern as an elementary education and history double major. She was also a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society.

According to Zablonski, "This scholarship is important because it helps preserve the memory of Victoria within Eastern's community. It serves as a reminder of her actions, not only to those presented with this award, but to the community as a whole. This award is not just a memorial, but a means through which Vicki continues her role as a teacher by inspiring students at Eastern to live their lives to the fullest and motivating them to exhibit the same selflessness and dedication for others and their careers that Vicki did."

In 2013, the Department of History established the award in memory of Victoria Leigh Soto for a graduating senior who is a History major, a member of Phi Alpha Theta and planning to become a teacher. The award is presented annually during the Phi Alpha Theta initiation ceremony at Eastern. Zablonski was the second recipient of the scholarship, which was awarded in spring 2014 for the 2014-15 academic year.