The National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) has announced that Cathy Carpenter, Orlando, Fla., was named recipient of the 2016 New Professional Reporter Grant. The Foundation also announced that Nicole Bulldis, a student from Green River Community College in Auburn, Wash., is the recipient of the 2016 Frank Sarli Memorial Scholarship.
“Being a new reporter can be a little intimidating because every day is something new and unknown, which is also what makes it so exciting,” said Carpenter. “One of the best things about court reporting is that there are so many people willing to help, teach, and do whatever is necessary to help new reporters, such as myself, succeed. Receiving this scholarship is a prime example of the support that is out there in our community, and I am extremely grateful for it as I am starting out in my career.”
NCRF awards the annual New Professional Reporter Grant to a reporter who is in his or her first year of work, has graduated within a year from an NCRA-certified court reporting program, and meets specific criteria, including a grade point average of 3.5 or above, a letter of recommendation, and active work in any of the career paths of judicial (official/freelance), CART, or captioning. Carpenter, a graduate of Sheridan Technical College, Hollywood, Fla., is the 12th recipient of NCRF’s New Professional Reporter Grant. She was recommended by Chelsey Bailey of First Choice Reporting & Video in Tampa, Fla.
Bailey recalled a memorable deposition when “Cathy handled a witness bringing his four-year-old son into the conference room during his deposition who continued to run around and scream over the attorneys. I still wonder how she was even able to take down the depo, but she managed to do so while also entertaining the little boy by pulling all of her supplies and belongings out her bag and allowing him to play with them. When it was over, the attorneys expressed to our office staff how grateful they were for Cathy’s professionalism.”
NCRF’s Frank Sarli Memorial Scholarship honors the late Frank Sarli, a court reporter who was committed to supporting students at the highest level of their learning curve. Bulldis is the 20th recipient of the scholarship. Recipients are chosen based on a number of criteria, including enrollment in an NCRA-certified court reporting program, passing at least one of the court reporting program’s Q&A tests at a minimum of 200 words per minute, having a grade point average of 3.5 or above, demonstrating the need for financial assistance, and possessing the qualities exemplified by a professional court reporter, including attitude, demeanor, dress, and motivation.
“I am so honored to be the 20th student who will benefit from this amazing scholarship,” said Bulldis. “I hope to serve Mr. Sarli’s memory well and look forward to the day I can pay it forward.”
To learn more about NCRF’s scholarships and grants, visit NCRA.org/NCRF/Scholarships.
