As we wrap up the Thanksgiving holiday, it is my hope and prayer that each and every one of you took time to truly reflect on the good in your life and to fully appreciate our loved ones, both in our family life and in that of our professional life. It is so easy to get wrapped up in our daily routine and in the hustle and bustle of the day that we often tend to forget to stop and appreciate that which is the most important to us.
One thing we must also be thankful for is our profession, one that has been so good to my family and I hope that each of you feels the same. I am often asked about my career. It gives me great joy to tell about how it is interesting and that every day is different, it provides for a great income and can oftentimes be very flexible. Get out and share the word about what you do and be proud of it!! Hopefully, this will encourage others to look in to the field of court reporting so that one day they too can look back and be thankful for this wonderful career.
On a different note, your TCRA board and fellow members have been very busy these past couple of months. We had many members volunteer their time by promoting Court Reporting at the Tennessee School Counselor’s Convention in September. Our convention committee has been working diligently to make sure that our annual convention coming up in April will be a success (more details to follow). Please make sure to read the entire newsletter to stay informed of the exciting upcoming events and more information on how you can get involved.
In closing, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. Don’t forget to slow down and take it all in, reflect on the special moments and savor the relationships in your lives.
Sincerely,
Dana Webb
TCRA President
2018 Student Scholarship Essay Winner
Cristine Kuo, Essay Winner
Each year TCRA sponsors a scholarship for court reporting students. Students may participate in the program by writing a short essay. The student scholarships are awarded to deserving students each year at our Annual Convention. This year we had some great essays submitted from several students. It is so inspiring to read their essays and to hear the passion and enthusiasm in their words.
Cristine Kuo is our 2018 recipient of the Tiffany Brosemer Student Scholarship Essay Contest. Congratulations, Cristine!
Read Cristine's essay below.
Tiffany Brosemer Student Scholarship Fund Essay
Submitted by: Cristine Kuo
If you ask a child, whether they are in middle or high school, what they want to be when they grow up, the usual response is, “I want to be a teacher! I want to be a lawyer! I want to be a doctor!” Well, if you asked me that question my response is, “I have no stinkin’ idea what I want to be. Both of my parents are restaurant owners, so I suppose that’s what I’m going to become, a restaurant owner.”
Luckily for me, my high school invited every 10th grader to attend a career fair. I kept my mind open for options hoping something will catch my eye and that’s when I saw, a woman sitting so straight and poised, with a business attire on. She seems so happy and focused. I walked up to her and watched her “type” away on some sort of keyboard. Someone shouted, “How are you typing all of those words so quickly? What is that machine called?”
The woman was very kind and answered all our questions and told us that she was a court reporter and her machine was called a steno machine. She was not typing but writing on her machine. I was so intrigued. I think I found my calling.
I graduated high school and went on to receive my degree in English, but in the back of my mind I still had a lingering thought of wanting to become a court reporter. I contacted Brown College of Court Reporting located in Atlanta, GA. Two and half years into school, here I am now, still wanting to become a court reporter. It’s taking some time, but I know I will get there eventually.