Victoria Leigh Soto was a History major as well as Education major at Eastern. She was a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honors Society. On December 14, 2012, she gave her life to protect her first-grade students at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.  In 2013, the Department of History established an award in memory of Victoria Leigh Soto ’08 for a graduating senior in the History program, who is a member of Phi Alpha Theta and is planning to make their career in teaching following graduation from Eastern. The recipient of the Victoria Leigh Soto '08 Memorial Award is determined by the faculty in the Department of History. The award is presented annually during the Phi Alpha Theta initiation ceremony at Eastern.

Students are encouraged to file the FAFSA by March 1