Court reporting students may share the common desire to become professionals in their field, but each has followed a unique path to get there. They arrive at school with different experiences, for different reasons, and with different plans for the future. Up-to-Speed reached out to students to ask them why they chose court reporting, where they get their inspiration, and what lies ahead.
Connie Spears and Meredith McDonnell of Arlington Career Institute in Grand Prairie, Texas; Sydney Lundberg of Des Moines Area Community College in Newton, Iowa; Suzanne Laisney of Brown College of Court Reporting in Atlanta, Ga.; and Sara Vaughn of Simply Steno share their stories.
UTS | Why have you chosen this career?
SPEARS | I have always been interested in the law and hearing people’s stories, and now my career will be to do this every single day! My cousin has been a court reporter for 13 years, and she really has helped me understand the job and the benefits for my future.
LUNDBERG | I become interested in court reporting through my family member, who was a captioner at the time.
MCDONNELL | I had seen a presentation in high school featuring court reporting as a future career, and it always stuck with me as a skill that I would like to learn more about.
LAISNEY | At the risk of sounding cliché, I actually was looking on the Internet for a new career to have in this part of my life. I saw an ad from Brown College and decided to research it more. As soon as I did, I knew it would be the right fit for me.
VAUGHN | I was in the process of applying to college to become an accountant. It wasn’t really something I thought I’d enjoy, but I knew it would help me financially. A friend of mine happened to mention court reporting, which I’d never even heard of prior to that conversation, so I decided to look into it. After a bit of research, I was convinced it was going to be something that not only would enrich my financial situation but was so diverse that I could be happy with what I do for a long time to come.
UTS | What were you doing before you started school?
SPEARS |I work at a dental office and have for 14 years. But since I was young I always wanted to be a court reporter. So now is my time!
LUNDBERG | Before I started school, I was attending high school, and I was extremely interested in marine biology.
MCDONNELL |I was a part-time preschool teacher and a stay-at-home mom.
LAISNEY |Before I started school I had a full career. I was a 30 year veteran teacher in the public school system in Georgia. My areas of expertise and certifications are focused in language arts and foreign language instruction (in particular French and Spanish), Instructional Technology, and English taught to speakers of other languages (ESOL). With these being my strengths and experience, I thought that court reporting would dovetail quite nicely into a future career!
VAUGHN |I was and still am a bookkeeper.
UTS | Who or what inspires you?
SPEARS |My children inspire me. I want to be the very best I can be and also do what I have always dreamed of doing so that my kids will see in life one day that you can do anything you put your mind to!
LUNDBERG | I am inspired by my aunt, as she assists the hearing impaired through CART and broadcast captioning services.
MCDONNELL |Those who get a little later start in life when it comes to starting their career. I decided to have my children at a young age and to be at home with them for the first several years of their life before I began to work on my own career.
LAISNEY |I am inspired by Richard Branson (entrepreneur and business owner of Virgin companies around the world) and many people whoare similar to him. I love to read quotes from people I admire to inspire me. I look at a quote as a quick peek into a person’s brain. Branson has many that resonate with me, including my favorite: “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you’re not sure you can do it, say yes then learn how to do it later.” In fact, I love quotes so much for personal inspiration that I keep a running notebook of them. This way, whenever I run across one I like, I add it to my notebook to re-read later when I need to get that extra pop of motivation!
VAUGHN |It sounds so cliché, but my kids inspire me. I want to show them that even if the task is a long, difficult road, if you set your mind to it, you can make it happen. They’ve seen me go through some setbacks, but they’ll also see me succeed in what I set out to accomplish.
UTS | What happens next? What is your dream job?
SPEARS |This is my dream job! Being a court reporter is my dream job, and I cannot wait to be sitting in the court room!
LUNDBERG | My dream job is to work for VITAC as a captioner.
MCDONNELL |I am very interested in the criminal justice system, and the idea of being in a courtroom and being able to play a part of the action excites me. Court reporting is my dream job because it is the perfect career for allowing me to feel important and involved, but it still gives me the flexibility to spend time with my family.
LAISNEY |My dream job is one in which I feel passionate about what I am doing while continuing to have flexibility and balance in my life. It is one where I feel excited to come to work daily, knowing that I will leave at the end of the day having made a difference!
VAUGHN |I am in love with cosmology! My dream job would be to provide captioning services for NASA or SpaceX.
