By Cathy Penniston
“Kid, you’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!” This quote, from Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! sums up the recent visit by NCRA President Debbie Dibble, RDR, CRR, CRC, to our virtual classroom at Des Moines Area Community College in Des Moines, Iowa. Debbie’s enthusiasm and love of the court reporting profession is contagious.
Debbie entertained our class with stories of her adventures around the world and here at home captioning and reporting. Debbie answered questions from the students.
After Debbie’s visit, the students shared their favorite tips with the class. Following are some of the students’ favorite “Debbie” quotes:
Sydney Slocum: “My favorite thing about Debbie’s talk was how excited she was about reporting. I also really enjoyed her stories about the places she has been and the people she has met.”
Brynn McCalester: “My favorite tip from Debbie was to eat a piece of candy after ‘Ready, begin’ to reprogram your brain around that phrase.” Other tips: “Court reporting is pandemic-proof! The more you practice, the quicker you will get out of school. Court reporters are problem solvers!”
Sophia Critelli’s favorite tip from Debbie was: “Once you’re in and established, you can work your schedule around priorities of your life (kids, etc.) so working hard is worth it.”
Thank you, Debbie Dibble, for taking time from your busy schedule to motivate our students and for sharing your wonderful stories about court reporting.
Per Debbie and Dr. Seuss, You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so … get on your way!
Cathy Penniston, RPR, CRI, serves on the NCRA Board of Directors. She is an instructor at Des Moines Area Community College in Newton, Iowa, and also works as a captioner. She can be reached at cpenniston@gmail.com.
