South Coast College Entrepreneurial Alumni Return

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

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Alumni Continue to Network

At South Coast College in Orange, CA, our students develop friendships that last a lifetime. These friendships offer networking activities for students and graduates of the various programs of Medical Assistant, Legal Administrative Assistant, Paralegal Studies, and Court Reporting that South Coast College provides.  Diann Prince, a graduate of the Paralegal Studies Program, has created opportunities for Whitney and Kamryn, graduates of the Court Reporting Program at South Coast College, to do business with the law firm in which she works.  If you would like more information about how you can become part of this unique alumni group, click the link to visit the South Coast College website, and GET INFO now.

So great to see our alumni keeping in touch and continuing to work together!!!

Diann Dans Prince

Double dose! Two of my favorite court reporters showed up at the office today!!

Career Fair Activities -- Paralegal Placement Coordinator Encourages Networking

Emely Cruz, J.D., Legal Programs Placement Coordinator at South Coast College in Orange, CA, encourages students in the Legal Administrative Assistant and Paralegal Studies programs to get out and network as much as they can.  Professor Cruz, herself, makes it a habit to visit law offices to network on behalf of the students.  In February, she visited the Offices of Yanez and Associates, Immigration and Family Law attorneys and the Law Offices of Joseph P. Downs, Family Law attorneys.

In March, she visited the Robert D. Fischer Law Office, Family Law attorneys; Mashney Law Office, Personal Injury attorneys; and Joseph P. Foley, Estate Planning attorneys.

She makes these visits both to network and to ensure that what we are teaching in our programs is relevant to today's legal offices.

She also encourages students to attend career fairs.  She even took one of her current students, Leticia Manez, to the Orange County Career Fair to expose her to the whole career-fair experience.

She has students bring plenty of updated resumes to these events as it is possible to meet a potential employer at one of these fairs.

Look for when the National Career Fairs are in your area.  Registration for these events is free.  In fact, at the March 19, 2015 Orange County Career Fair, even an ipad was raffled off.

If you want someone like Professor Cruz in your corner when you are job searching, consider the Legal Administrative Assistant or Paralegal Studies programs at South Coast College.  Click the link South Coast College to GET INFO NOW!

Family Affair -- South Coast College Graduates--Cousins

Brittany Gammon recently graduated from the Court Reporting program and her cousin graduated with an A.A. degree in Paralegal Studies program at the March 2015 Commencement Exercises at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.  South Coast College in Orange, CA, is known for being the family college.  So many different combinations of family members attend and graduate from South Coast College.  Currently, Rosanna O'Rear is in 190 wpm in the Court Reporting Program and her daughter, Brigette, recently took the Certified Shorthand Examination to become certified as a court reporter.  Ashley Gregory graduated from the Paralegal Program and her sister, Amber, from the Medical Assistant Program. One of the French sisters is in the Court Reporting Program and her sister recently graduated from the Medical Assistant Program.  These are only a few of the types of relationships that exist.

If you and one or more of your relatives or friends are thinking about finding a new career, check out a college that promotes the concept of studying together in a family-oriented environment.  Click the link at South Coast College and GET INFO NOW!

Two Cousins Celebrating at the Bowers Museum