South Coast College, a little niche college in Orange, CA,surprisingly produces an amazing number of entrepreneurs primarily because of the programs that it offers (court reporting, paralegal, and medical assistant), and the assistance it gives to students to develop their entrepreneurial skills. What is more amazing is that these alumni return to share their expertise on an ongoing basis with the students, faculty, and staff of the college. South Coast College was lucky to have some of these people recently at its symposium in December. The alumni who attended consisted of court reporting agency owners, the author of the Lifehacker article on court reporting, and a paralegal graduate who owns a paralegal agency.
The court reporting program is a natural for entrepreneurship because court and deposition reporters often start out as independent contractors and build relationships to where they are able to start their own agencies. In this symposium, a number of the alumni who spoke began that way. Stephanie Leslie, CSR, began as a deposition reporter. She and her husband, Isaiah Leslie, decided to expand to enable Stephanie to have a family and to not report as much. Together they established one of the leading court reporting firms in Orange County, Regal Court Reporters. The very popular Valadez twins established their reputations as great reporters in distinct fields. Whitney became an Official Court Reporting in Los Angeles reporting many of the high-profile cases, including: the McCourt divorce trial, trials of Mel Gibson, Brittany Spears, and others. Kamryn became a sought-after deposition reporter. Eventually, they decided to join forces and create their own agency, Kamryn Whitney Court Reporting. Linda Simpson, CSR, RPR, is well known in the legal community and has for over 20 years owned her own court reporting agency in Orange, CA, called Simpson Reporting.
The Paralegal Studies program is another natural for entrepreneurship because many paralegals also work as independent contractors who then branch out and start their own agencies. One of the latest to do so was our recent alumna, Rachel Siciliani, who is CEO of two paralegal agencies: Accurate Legal Solutions and A-Accurate Process Servers.
Although this time, there were no medical assistants who had their own businesses, many of the medical assistants have gone on to provide health-care services businesses or other-related businesses. A recent graduate, Araceli Lopez,, opened her own ultrasound business called SneakaPeek Baby.
If you wish to know more about this unique college or the programs offered, click here
Kristina Tan, graduate of South Coast College, was featured in an episode on Storage Wars in which she evaluated a Stenograph 8000LX.
Darrell and Brandon Sheets, father and son team, visited South Coast College to learn more about the stenograph machine and get a mini lesson in court reporting.
Thanks to the cast and crew of Storage Wars for portraying the profession of court reporting in a positive light. You can learn more about court reporting by clicking GET INFO NOW.
Many students who have four-year university or college degrees have chosen to enroll at South Coast College in Orange, CA, in the Court Reporting Program rather than to pursue an advanced degree in their respective areas, and the numbers are increasing. Out of the 14 court reporting candidates from South Coast College who are going to the November 2015 Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) Examination, 6 of them have at least a four-year degree from a university ,
The reasons for this phenomenon may stem from a variety of factors.
Some students report that they had not been given any career information by their counselors about court reporting when they were in high school. When asked, several of the candidates indicated that had they known about the career of court reporting, they would have gone directly into the Court Reporting Program.
Some came from families where parents insisted that their children obtain a four-year degree.
Some were employed in jobs right out of college that either were not in the field in which they majored or were low-paying jobs that had little or no chance of advancement.
Others indicated that they were given misinformation about the field and told that court reporters were going to be replaced by technology. Only through research into the field were they able to discover the advances in technology that have turned this career into the in-demand career that it has become. Watch this video to see how technology is used in the courtroom.
Others simply wanted to be able to apply their knowledge and expertise to this unique field.
Daniel Byun, graduate of Chapman University, indicated that he enjoyed his college experience and was happy to have his B.A. degree in Script Writing. However, had he known about Court Reporting and the opportunities that it presented both financially and professionally, he would have come directly into the Court Reporting Program.
Jessie Frey, graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, received a B.A. degree in Film Preservation. She does not regret obtaining a degree. However, she found that her choices for a career after college were limited.
Leanne Nakanishi, graduate of the University of California at Irvine (UC Irvine), received a B.S. degree in Biology and a B.A. degree in Psychology before enrolling at South Coast College. She said she definitely would have entered directly into the Court Reporting Program had she known more about the field at that time.
Veronica Parker, is an instructor at a military academy. She obtained her B.A. and M.A. degrees while in the military. She chose court reporting because she wants a flexible career where she can be independent.
Kristina Tan, graduate of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) received a B.A. degree in English. She indicated that her high school counselors really never encouraged students to do anything other than pursue four-year degrees. After working as a tutor and doing a variety of jobs that held little or no chance of advancement, she chose to pursue Court Reporting. She said it was the best decision she could have made. Kristina has become a Certified Eclipse Software Trainer and has been able to support herself while going to school by part-time teaching.
Jai Wang, graduate of the University of Santa Barbara, was working in an unrelated field to his major and decided to enroll in court reporting because he knew someone in the field and decided to enroll at South Coast College because his roommate, John Pham, also a University of Santa Barbara graduate enrolled at South Coast College to become a court reporter.
If you have a four-year degree and are ready for a change, see how you can use the knowledge that you obtained in your major in this exciting, in-demand field of stenography by visiting southcoastcollege.edu.
The Lifehacker Court Reporter article written by Cassandra Caldarella, CSR, a graduate of South Coast College in Orange, CA, has drawn much attention to the relatively unknown career of court reporting. The article has been reprinted by monster.com and shared by numerous entities.
The Lifehacker article on the career of court reporting has brought such attention to the career of stenography that many people are asking where this person gained her court reporting or stenography knowledge and expertise. Cassandra Caldarella, CSR, graduate of South Coast College, not only graduated from South Coast College but also continues to attend the realtime workshops on the campus of South Coast College in order to prepare for realtime certification. Cassandra is one of the many existing court and deposition reporters who strive to improve their skills by attending the workshops designed specifically for improving realtime writing ability, and the certifications are well worth seeking. Most courts provide incentives for realtime certification, and the deposition reporters who have the certification are sought after.
The current Realtime Workshop attendees at South Coast College include State and Federal court reporters, deposition reporters, CART providers, and captioners. If you have not looked into careers that use stenography, you may be missing out on a way to profit from the knowledge that you have gained from your current career. Many students, like Cassandra, already had their degrees in various disciplines before venturing into court reporting. For further information about the South Coast College realtime workshops or about entering the field of stenography, request our Careers in Stenography booklet, visit South Coast College to request your free booklet.
All court reporters and students and families are welcome.
To obtain a special Court Reporters for the Cure shirt, you must register with Kathy Genevay, CSR, Instructor at South Coast College early this week because the shirts have to be pre-ordered. Contact Kathy Genevay at kgenevay@southcoastcollege.com
To learn more about the Walk, go to the South Coast College website under News.
Thanks to our two alumnae, Cassandra Caldarella, CSR, Official Orange County, and Linda Simpson, CSR, owner of Simpson Deposition Services, for making this event possible. Click News for more.
To learn more about becoming a court reporter, go to South Coast College and GET INFO now.
Happy July 4th from the faculty and staff of South Coast College. Thanks to Professor Dixon and Ed Reaser for contributing to the spirit of the holiday.
William Dixon, Director of Legal Programs and Ed Reaser, Librarian
South Coast College of Orange, CA, has so many alumni who have overcome incredible obstacles to reach their goal of becoming Certified Shorthand Reporters (CSRs).
Shawnda Dorn, CSR, RPR
Another great success story is Shawda Dorn, CSR, RPR, who just passed the Registered Professional Reporter Examination (RPR). Shawnda is a successful court reporter!
Shawnda DornJean Gonzalez, I know you don't know this, but while I was in school, I had discovered I had a benign tumor that eats bone in my left ear. It ate all my ear bones, you know, the smallest bones in the body: the incus, the malleus, and the stapes. These are the bones that when the sound hits the eardrum, these bones vibrate, which are attached to the eardrum and cochlear, which then sends the signal to your brain to hear sound. I had two ear surgeries while in school. One was to remove the tumor and the other to put in an implant. The implant surgery was not successful. I have had one more ear surgery since school, but I have been wearing a hearing aid ever since the implant surgery failed. The point of this story is you can still be a court reporter with a hearing aid.
An earlier post this month highlighted South Coast College alumna, Maria Bustillos, CSR, who overcame an aneurysm while attending school to become a CSR and a working Federal Court Reporter. Maria and Shawnda are other examples of the strong and inspirational women of South Coast College.
If you are a strong woman who will work hard to achieve a goal that leads to an exceptionally lucrative career path, click on South Coast College and GET INFO NOW.
Recently, April Boyce, a student in the Court Reporting Program at South Coast College, gave birth and immediately returned to school within a short period of time. Click on the post: Strong Women of South Coast College. She so inspired Candice Bowdre, a student in the Evening Program at South Coast College, to do the same.
Candace Bowdre, Court Reporting Student
Candice gave birth to a baby boy on June 6 and returned to school a week later. What an amazing story! Candice is one of a growing number of young women who understand the importance of having a career to provide a great future for their children. Court reporting is one of the best careers to do that. In a recent article, it has been listed as the No. 2 Career for surprisingly high incomes. If you have a family but know that you have to have a career in today's marketplace that will ensure your family's future, go to South Coast College and click GET INFO NOW.
South Coast College has the best alumni. They are always there sharing their expertise with students, faculty, and staff. Every quarter, Melissa Sosa, CSR, who is one of the best CART providers, visits Kevin Magner's computer class to demonstrate how she is able to be present demonstrating in the class while working.
Melissa Sosa, CSR, CART Provider
Melissa is one of a growing number of alumni who are deciding to use their expertise in helping the deaf and hard-of-hearing community to enjoy their lives more fully. Melissa came to the school that day despite the fact that she had worked until midnight the night before providing services remotely to the Berkeley City Council. She had a few days earlier provided her services to a webinar for the Fulbright scholars. After demonstrating her skills in class and her passion for the work that she is doing, Melissa provided one-on-one sessions with students to explain the many facets of using stenography for assisting the deaf and hard-of-hearing. She demonstrated how the skill is used to assist students in remote classrooms, how it can be used to provide captions for webcasts, and how it can be used in a variety of different venues.Melissa has appeared in court next to a witness who was deaf to provide captions for the witness to view. She has traveled to a number of different venues to assist employees who were hard-of-hearing or deaf to receive in-service. Melissa said that she enjoys the job not only for the rewarding feeling that she receives from helping others but form the daily challenge it provides. She has to be constantly learning new vocabulary and keeping up with technology. Just imagine how challenging it is to have to report a webinar for Fulbright Scholars.
President Jean Gonzalez and Melissa Sosa, CSR, CART Provider
If you would like to have a rewarding, lucrative career that helps others to enjoy life more fully, click South Coast College and GET INFO NOW!!!
Thanks to Maria Bustillos, CSR, Federal Court Reporter in Los Angeles and graduate of South Coast College, for visiting the campus and inspiring the South Coast College evening students with her story of her journey through the court reporting program. Maria has worked as a Federal Court Reporter for 11 years. However, while she was in court reporting school, she suffered an aneurysm and had to interrupt her studies for close to a year.
Maria Bustillos, CSR, Federal Court Reporter
When she returned to school, she basically had to retake her academic classes because of her loss of memory. In spite of the obstacle of having the aneurysm and having to rehabilitate, she managed to complete the program with a speed of 240 wpm and go on to become a successful reporter. Maria is another example of the strong and inspirational women of South Coast College.
If you wish to find out more about how to become a Federal Court Reporter, like Maria, click on South Coast College and GET INFO NOW.
Official Court Reporter (Certified Realtime Reporter)
Just a reminder to our South Coast College graduates that the deadline for the Los Angeles Official Court Reporter applications is Thursday, June 11. However, we have provided a link to the official site.
The United States District Court, Central District of California, is recruiting for Official Court Reporters who are Certified Realtime Reporters. There are two or more vacancies to be filled in Los Angeles at this time. The court reporters will report to the Manager of Court Reporting Services for the United States District Court, Central District of California, and to the District Judge to whom the court reporter is assigned. In addition to the current vacancy, an eligibility list of qualified candidates will be developed from this recruitment to fill potential future vacancies within the district court over the course of the next year.
Representative Responsibilities:
Official Court Reporters’ duties include, but are not limited to the following:
Court Reporters are responsible for the verbatim reporting of proceedings held before United States District Judges and Magistrate Judges and for the transcription of those proceedings on request.
Court Reporters must be able to read back all or any portions of the court record, to perform well under pressure, to produce transcripts within strict time limitations, and to work as part of a team of reporters for the Judges of the Court.
Court Reporters must possess the knowledge, skill and ability to produce accurate, simultaneous realtime translation utilizing computer-aided translation.
Court Reporters must be familiar with and adhere to all requirements of the Court Reporter Management Plan for the District.
Court Reporters must comply with all administrative duties assigned by his or her manager and the Court.
Court Reporters must occasionally travel to the courthouses in Santa Ana and Riverside.
Skills/Qualifications:
Candidate must possess at least four years of court reporting experience as a freelance reporter or as a court reporter, or a combination thereof, and must have passed the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) Examination administered by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) or passed an equivalent qualifying examination such as the Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) Examination administered by the Court Reporters Board of California. The candidate must have passed a Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR) Examination administered by NCRA, USCRA or DRA.
For more information on applying for this position, go to the link provided at the top to the official website. For more information about how you can become qualified to become an official court reporter, click on GET INFO NOW!
Can you believethat a woman can have a baby at the end of the quarter, be off for the student break of one week, and return to school the first day of the next quarter after having a baby? April Boyce, a student in the Court Reporting Program at South Coast College in Orange, CA, did just that.
April Boyce, former U.S. Marine and Court Reporting Student
Everyone worried about April because for several weeks, she had to attend school on crutches. However, as a former U.S. Marine, April was used to facing adversity. April was determined not to let anything interfere with her goal of becoming a certified shorthand reporter. April is one of many South Coast College strong women who are able to balance having a family and being a full-time student. In fact, April has become such a positive role model at South Coast College, that Candace Bowdre, an evening student who is close to delivering her first child, said that she intends to come back to school a week after her delivery. In addition, it is noteworthy to add that April has another young baby at home. If you have a family but know that you have to have a career in today's marketplace, go to the South Coast College website and click GET INFO NOW.
South Coast College Alumna, Linda A. Simpson, CSR, RMR, CRR, passed the California Certified Realtime Reporter (CCRR) Examination. Linda is a Court-Approved Official Court Reporter Pro Tempore for Orange
County Superior Court and owner of Simpson Reporters. Although Linda is an excellent reporter, she is someone who prides herself on being the best and enrolled in the 12-Week Realtime Workshop offered at South Coast College from January to April 2015. She passed the April 2015 CCRR. We are so proud of her great accomplishment!
If you want to learn more about how to become a court reporter like Linda Simpson, CSR, click on South Coast College and GET INFO NOW.
May
12, 2015
Linda
Simpson
1314
E. Chapman Ave.
Orange,
CA. 92866
Dear
Linda,
Congratulations! You
passed the California Certificate in Realtime Reporting (CCRR) skills
examination given by DRA on April 25, 2015 in Orange, California.
All
of us at Deposition Reporters Association of California thank you for your
participation in the realtime exam. We are proud of you for your success
and your dedication to your profession in striving to improve your realtime
skills.
Your
CCRR number is 193.
Your
certificate will be mailed and you may now begin using the CCRR
designation! Please contact the office if you would like an electronic
copy of the CCRR logo to include in your correspondence.
Congratulations to three South Coast College alumni who recently were hired in the Orange County Court System -- Cassandra Caldarella, CSR; Kris Tanoue, CSR; and Vienna Chon. Pictured below is Cassandra Caldarella who wrote this in the Why I Love Court Reporting Facebook Page.
"I'm so excited to get to set up my new office with awesome reporter roommates. I never thought I'd be excited to work in a cubicle again, but it's different because I'm still somewhat autonomous with no bosses looking over my shoulder. Having an officialship is like being a part of a family. I get to work with great court reporters and staff. Everyone has been so helpful as we get set up in our new position and new office."
If you want to know more about how you can obtain an officialship as a court reporter, click on South Coast College and GET INFO NOW.
GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT COURT REPORTING is a challenge because most career counselors know little or nothing about the secret career of court reporting. More and more people are entering the court reporting program after having attained one or more degrees at various universities and have not found suitable employment opportunities. Thanks to the California Court Reporting Association (CCRA) and the Deposition Reporters Association (DRA) and to alumni members such as Stephanie Leslie of Regal Court Reporting and Pat Hahn of Hahn and Bowersock for helping to seek out ways to reach young people in high school. Thanks to Pat Hahn for arranging for South Coast College participants and Jeff Koller, Esq. of Hahn and Bowersock to speak in front of a great audience of interested participants at the Roosevelt High School mock courtroom. Click on Roosevelt High School to see more about the law activities. Click on South Coast College and GET INFO NOW to find out more about how you can get involved in this secret profession.
Noe Huizar, South Coast College Placement Coordinator; Jeff Koller, Hahn and Bowersock; and Daniela Higuera, Court Reporting Student
Another way to keep abreast of news articles related to the professions that are taught at South Coast College in the areas of court reporting/CART/captioning, legal and medical programs offered; accomplishments of students and alumni, and news in general about the campus, select NEWS from the top bar located on the website. See above.
From the South Coast College Website, you can also click the links that will take you to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and UTube.
South Coast College also has a Facebook page that lists the accomplishments of students, alumni, and staff. It also posts general items of interest.
Three new Facebook pages have been created by alumni to further provide information for potential students, students, and alumni. These pages are the following:
Why I Love Court Reporting Click to check it out. Why I Love Court Reporting
Realtime Prep Class at South Coast College Click to check it out. Realtime
South Coast College Alumni Click to check it out. Alumni
Twitter
Everything that is posted on Facebook is also tweeted on Twitter. Some items are directly tweeted.
South Coast College has a list of notable alumni. To become a notable alumni, you must first have graduated from South Coast College and must list South Coast College in your LinkedIn profile. Otherwise, even though you and your accomplishments are known, LinkedIn will not allow us to add you as a notable alumni.
YouTube
A few of the YouTube videos are listed that pertain to South Coast College.
Finally, there is this blog at southcoastcollege.blogspot.com that is designed to let you know the events that happened or are happening at South Coast College.
If you wish to become part of this vibrant group of energetic alumni and students, click South Coast College and go to GET INFO NOW!!!!
Networking is important to your career, STAY CONNECTED!!!!
THANK YOU, Cassandra Caldarella, CSR, alumna of South Coast College for starting the South Coast College Alumni Association. Cassandra has also created the Facebook page called South Coast College Alumni. She writes, " If you're a graduate of South Coast College, or a realtime class participant, please join our new Facebook group. We're in the process of incorporating as a 501(c)(3) and getting the new South Coast College AlumniAssociation going. Volunteers are welcome!!!" Visit her Facebook Page and leave her a message. Click Cassandra Caldarella, CSR
If you interested in becoming a successful court reporting like Cassandra, visit the South Coast College website by clicking South Coast College, and go to GET INFO NOW!!!
Talented Court Reporting Students from South Coast College provided deposition reporting services for the Chapman University law students who were learning to take depositions. It is so great for South Coast College students to be able to develop these networking opportunities with future attorneys. Here is what one student, Sabrina Guzman, had to say as posted on Facebook:
"Today Daniela Higuers and I (a fellow student from my school) participated in a mock deposition as part of a Chapman University Law School class for law students learning how to do depositions. There were 11 attorneys and 1 witness. I am proud to say that despite my nervousness, I did pretty darn well! I love getting these hands-on experiences that prepare me for when I go out in the 'real world.' I did the whole thing in realtime, and I was able to keep up for the 40 pages that it went on. At the end the depo the teacher came up to me and said, 'So you should be able to get a transcript to me by Thursday; right?' 'Sure!,' I said as I mentally recalculate my week of family, school, work, and CSR review! I got this ! — feeling determined."
Earlier in the week, Katy Magner and Kathy Alona, were also volunteers at Chapman University Law School in the City of Orange..
Katy Magner
Kathy Alona
If you would like to get involved with a high-paying career that affords you the opportunity to work in a variety of interesting venues, click South Coast College and GET INFO NOW!
Learning how to interview can be fun under the right conditions. At South Coast College located in the City of Orange, having the Placement Coordinator for the Medical Assistant Program be someone who holds a Juris Doctorate in the law and an Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from USC Film School guarantees that preparing for a job is going to be exciting and fun!
Tom Sinsky, J.D. is one of the most creative, innovative instructors who loves helping place students in externshps and jobs. He and Noe Huizar, another placement coordinator enjoy the challenge of preparing students for the real world and finding creative ways to help them find the positions that they love. Tom and Noe even often accompany interviewees on their initial interviews. They have been known to be very creative in their job searches.
If you are interested in the medical field and want to take the Medical Assistant Program where you know that you have a team like this to help you in your job search, click the link South Coast College and GET INFO NOW!
Winners of the Game Show (Alisha Gallardo, Sue Song, and Gerardo Moreno)
