A 27-year-old teacher of Puerto Rican descent has emerged as a hero in the tragic shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Details remain fuzzy, but it appears that Victoria Soto hid students in a bathroom or closet and died trying to protect them from alleged shooter Adam Lanza

From all accounts Soto was a model teacher, daughter and citizen.

The young educator lived with her parents, her sisters, and a brother in Stratford, Conn in a modest Cape Cod-style house. She was single, spent time worshipping at the Lordship Community Church in Stratford and had a soft spot for her pet black Labrador, Roxy.

Her mother, Donna, was a nurse at Bridgeport Hospital for 30 years and her father, Carlos, worked for the Connecticut Department of Transportation as a crane operator. Vicki was special to her father, friends said, and it was his job to identify his child’s body following the shooting.

Soto had been working at Sandy Hook Elementary for five years and despite complaining of the 45 minute commute to work every morning, she loved her job and her students loved her. Calling them her “angels,” Soto would sometimes tease her students by chewing gum in class, which was not allowed by school officials.

A friend posted a photo of Soto and a message in tribute to her yesterday on her Tumblr account.

"My good friend Vicki Soto passed away in todays tragic shooting," the message said. "Words can not express how heartbreaking and tragic this is. I will miss you dearly."

The family has not made any funeral arrangements for their loved one as Soto’s body has not been released, but Wilstie said he wants the world to know what type of courageous person his cousin was.

“I was proud to know her and I know that her mom and dad have peace knowing that the way Vicki was taken from us tragically, protecting her children,” Wilstie said. “She died a hero trying to protect her children.”

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