The National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) presented the Carl Sauceda Grant in the amount of $1,000 to Kimberly Xavier, RDR, CRR, CRC, CMRS, CRI, an official court reporter from Arlington, Texas, as well as $500 grants to Stacy L. Drohosky, RMR, CRR, CRI, an official federal court reporter from Hammond, Ind., and Erminia Uviedo, RDR, CRR, CRC, a court reporter and captioner from San Antonio, Texas. The announcement was made at a special awards luncheon at the 2023 NCRA Conference & Expo being held July 27-July 30 in Houston, Texas.
The grant goes to a court reporter or captioner who elevates the profession by impacting and teaching others, and honors Carl Sauceda, FAPR, RMR (Ret.), of Hayward, Calif., who served as NCRA President from 1999 to 2000 and continues a legacy of giving back to others.
The grants were awarded to all three recipients by NCRF Trustees in recognition of their promoting the profession to others, the influence they have had in the lives of rising court reporters, and their continuous commitment to supporting the stenographic court reporting and captioning professions.
Xavier has been a court reporter for 28 years and is also a Texas Certified Shorthand Reporter and is licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas.
Xavier began reporting in 1994 after leaving her service in the U.S. Air Force in 1993. Through her volunteer service and leadership roles, she has made it a priority throughout her career to take every opportunity to motivate, educate, and inspire her colleagues as well as future court reporters. Serving and performing in excellence has always been her personal goal.
At the national level, Xavier has attended numerous NCRA Conferences, including as a speaker, the Association’s Leadership & Legislative Boot Camp, and served as a National Congress of State Associations representative for Texas. She is also a frequent contributor the Journal of Court Reporting (JCR) magazine, NCRA’s official membership publication. She has also qualified in NCRA’s National Speed and Realtime Contests.
At the state level, Xavier has served on numerous committees for the Texas Court Reporters Association (TCRA) including its Public Relations, Local Associations, Budget, Membership, New Reporter, and Student committees. She was also the 2013 recipient of TCRA’s Above & Beyond Award. She has also competed since 2003 in the TCRA Paul Burris Speed Cup contest, winning in 2011, 2013, and 2014, and in the state Realtime Contest since 2005, winning in 2017.
Xavier has also hosted boot camps for qualified testing students, has served as a dictation reader for several contests, and is a frequent participant in National and state-hosted Veteran History Project events. In addition to teaching the NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program, Xavier also authored the TCRA Membership Recruitment Handbook and the Court Reporting as a Curriculum handbook, which is a guide for any reporter to introduce stenography to high schools, community colleges, and universities in Texas.
At the local level, she has served in numerous leadership positions for the Dallas Court Reporters Association, including as treasurer, vice president, president-elect, and president, as well as membership on its Officials, Community Relations, and Student committees. She has also presented at the state and local level.
In 2020, Xavier founded Stenovator Pathway Solutions Inc., a nonprofit organization created to benefit new professionals and advanced, high-achieving students. She also served as the original administrator of the Stenovator social media community creating a bridge from the steno community to the general public.
Stacy Drohosky has been a court reporter for more than 27 years and is currently a federal court reporter in the Northern District of Indiana.
At the state level, Drohosky has served in a number of leadership positions with the Indiana Court Reporters Association (INCRA), including as its current Immediate Past President. She also currently serves on its Education Committee.
Drohosky was nominated for the grant by the faculty and staff of the College of Court Reporting (CCR) in Valparaiso, Ind., where she serves on its Board of Directors. According to the nomination application, Drohosky was one of the first volunteers to teach the NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand online program and on behalf of INCRA. She has actively encouraged others to volunteer to reach the program and works to promote the profession by attending numerous high school career fairs throughout the state, as well as exhibiting at state’s school counselor conferences.
In 2021, INCRA’s Education Committee, through the efforts of Drohosky, delivered educational materials promoting the careers of court reporting and captioning to local area high schools in Northwest Indiana during Court Reporting & Captioning Week. Most recently, Drohosky led an effort by the committee to mail out 80 letters, 30 packets, and hand-deliver 19 steno swag bags containing educational and promotional materials to local schools. She also actively encourages high schools throughout the state to offer the NCRA A to Z program.
CCR’s nomination also notes that Drohosky would like to expand her efforts to not only recruit others to teach the NCRA A to Z program within the state of Indiana, but also to have interactive career fair tables for each of the events attended by her and her fellow reporters. Receiving the grant would help her to meet her goal.
“Stacy’s vision is to have a modern steno machine, and possibly an iPad, at each career fair table. This would enable students to actually sit down and learn to ‘write’ on a steno machine alongside a working reporter. Not only would this allow students who visit to learn about the careers of court reporting and captioning, but it would also allow the volunteers to engage with students in a way that would show them what it is like to write on the ‘little machine’.”
Erminia Uviedo holds membership in NCRA and the Texas Court Reporters Association and has presented to members at both levels. She is also a competitor in the national and state speed and realtime contests.
“Erminia Uviedo is the real deal; a one-of-kind reporter,” wrote NCRA member Leticia Salas, RMR, an official court reporter from Houston, Texas, who nominated Uviedo and considers her a mentor.
Uviedo is currently the leader and director of the Speed Steno Divas, a group which analyzes the writing of students to help lead them in the right direction for success in the profession. In addition to grading tests, Uviedo also mentors students on how to improve their writing. She additionally hosts two nights of classes each week and volunteers her time to meet with students individually to further assist them on their journeys.
Uviedo has also been a huge promoter of the stenographic court reporting and captioning professions through exhibiting at numerous high schools and other venues throughout the state to raise awareness about the benefits a career in the field offer.
According to Salas, when Uviedo began the Speed Steno Divas group there were seven prospects, and to date each one has moved from a student to a working professional. “Through word of mouth, she currently has students knocking on her door to help teach them and work with them to achieve their goals,” Salas added.
Contact Jill Parker Landsman, NCRF Manager at jlandsman@ncra.org to learn more about the Carl Sauceda Grant.
