We are so excited and honored to announce our 2019 VSMF Stratford High School Scholarship Winner, Saraya Lewis! Saraya has a clear passion for education beginning when she was just a little girl. She said, “As a child until now, I have always loved school! Education has always played a huge role in my life, as I come from a family of educators. Receiving this scholarship means the world to me. Having the opportunity to receive a scholarship named after someone so gracious and loving as Victoria Soto, is a win on its own. It also means that many people believe in me to carry out her legacy in my own future classroom, and that feeling is one of a kind.”
Saraya will be attending The University of Connecticut (Storrs Campus) this fall. She is in the ACES (Academic Center for Exploratory Students) Program as a Pre-Teaching major. For the first two years of college, she will be taking prerequisite courses that focus on Secondary English Education. During the middle of her sophomore year she will be applying for admission into the Neag School of Education at UCONN for her junior year.
In order to prepare for college, Saraya told us she has been visiting UCONN websites, reading, writing, and preparing herself mentally for her rigorous schedule in the fall. Additionally, she said she is babysitting weekly and spending time with family and friends.
Saraya is without a doubt, a tremendous addition to our scholarship winners and Team Vicki Soto family. Saraya said, “It felt so amazing to receive this scholarship because it meant I was able to form a connection with the Soto Family over something so important in today’s society. It felt as if all my hard work and dedication to school was meaningful and productive.” We are already so proud of Saraya’s drive, passion, commitment and determination to education. We cannot wait to see all that she accomplishes this fall. We know that down the road when she has a classroom of her own one day, her students will be in awe of Saraya as we already are today.
Congratulations Saraya!
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