South Coast College Graduation at the Bowers Museum -- Stacy Vives, RMA

Stacy Vivas, RMA

The spirit of the South Coast College in Orange, CA, graduation at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana is epitomized in this picture by Stacy Vivas. Stacy, a graduate of the Medical Assistant program, received honors for her high grade point average and for passing the RMA examination.  She is now a Registered Medical Assistant.  Stacy was hired immediately upon graduation at a clinic in Orange.  We are so proud of you!

If you would like to join an enthusiastic, motivated student body, you need to check out South Coast College.  A student once wrote, "I have been to many colleges and universities, and I have never met such an enthusiastic, motivated student body with so many dedicated, hard-working instructors."

Click the link South Coast College to get GET INFO NOW about how you can participate in this unique learning environment!

Saba McKinley Comments on South Coast College Graduation Speaker

Saba McKinley, CSR

Saba McKinley is a court reporter who has reported in court for many years.  She has covered many complex court cases.  She currently has moved to using her skills in the CART arena for the hard of hearing and deaf population.  Among other places, she provides CART services to students at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).  Recently, she has been providing training on the campus of South Coast College in Orange.  She has her own CART-provider services called DivineScripts.

She attended the Saturday March 7, 2015 South Coast College in Orange, CA, Commencement Exercises at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.  This is what she had to say about one of the commencement speakers, Cassandra Caldarella, CSR.


"I was inspired to attend the graduation ceremony of South Coast College graduates. How amazed, inspired and moved I was at the sheer love of the court reporting profession by this school. Cassandra Caldarella, whom some of you may know, is an alum of SCC and was the guest speaker to speak on behalf of the court reporting profession. Her knowledge and love for what she does, and her character for sharing her gifts and the gifts of this profession were no less than heartwarming and motivational. I am so happy to have attended this event and to hear such a dynamic and wonderful commencement address. Way to go, Cassandra. I look forward to the day that the two of us sit down for a chit chat about expanding the stenographic profession with the inclusion of CART and Broadcast captioning as viable career choices for one who has stenotype skills."

To learn more about CART reporting, click the following link:

Visit Saba McKinley's Facebook

To learn more about how you can prepare for court reporting, CART reporting, or captioning at South Coast College located in Orange, CA, click the link South Coast College and GET INFO NOW!

March 2015 Commencement Speakers

Cassandra Caldarella, CSR

South Coast College Alumna/Court Reporter

Cassandra Caldarella graduated from South Coast College in Orange, CA, and has been reporting since 2003.  She is an experienced court reporter who specializes in the courtroom arena. She has reported in court for over eight years as an official and official pro tempore for three counties – Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego County Superior Courts. She is an ex-official of Los Angeles Superior Court where she reported hundreds of trials in civil, criminal, family, and probate courtrooms. She is on the court approved lists for Los Angeles Superior Court and Orange County Superior Court. Since the privatization of court reporters in civil court in LA Superior Court in 2012, Cassandra has reported more than 60 civil trials, including asbestos, toxic tort, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and employment and she has successfully completed hundreds of appeals.

Tom Sinsky, J.D.

Career Placement Coordinator, Medical

Tom Sinsky earned a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School, a Masters in English from Loyola Marymount, and an MFA from USC Film School.  Five of his screen plays each advanced into multiple competitions.  He has been teaching law, English and media classes since the mid 1990s at schools including the University of La Verne, Bryan University, and South Coast College.  He is currently a law professor and Career Placement Coordinator at South Coast College. Like William Dixon, Director of Paralegal Studies, Tom is a former Disneyland Jungle Cruise Guide. 

Emely Cruz, J.D.

Career Placement Coordinator, Legal

Emely Cruz has been an instructor at South Coast College for 11 years and a law professor at Pacific West Law School for 1 ½ years.  Prior to becoming a paralegal, she had obtained a B.S. degree in Plastics Engineering.  She decided to become a Paralegal because while she was working at Custom Building Products as a Human Resources Administrator.  Because employees would seek her help on legal issues, she decided to pursue a paralegal degree to be more knowledgeable in the law.  After she obtained a Paralegal degree, she decided to pursue the Juris Doctorate degree.  In her second year of law school, she became a law clerk for the Law Offices of Kevin O’Connell.  She worked at that law office for 10 years and began teaching Paralegal Studies at South Coast College.  Currently, she is the Career Placement and Externship Coordinator, a professor of Paralegal Studies at South Coast College, and a freelance paralegal.  She even handles immigration cases for the law firm of Marlin Branstter, J.D., our Master of Ceremonies.

To find out more about any of the career choices at South Coast College, click the link South Coast College and go to GET INFO NOW!

South Coast College Highest Graduation Awards

HIGHEST AWARDS

Students often ask, "How do I earn special recognition at graduation?"  Several different awards are given out at graduation, but the highest awards are given for specific achievements.

COURT REPORTING

Court Reporting students who graduate in the shortest period of time receive an Outstanding Achievement Award plague at Graduation. The recipients of this award in the March 2015 Commencement Exercises were the following:

Kasidy Pighini             Qualified to take the CSR Test in 2 years

Robin Casillas              Qualified to take the CSR Test in 2 1/2 years

AAS

To take the CSR Examination, it is only necessary to achieve the speed of 200 wpm.  Students who wish to receive the AAS degree must complete proficiencies at 180 wpm, 200 wpm, and 225 wpm.  They go beyond what is necessary to take the examination.  The recipients of the AAS degree and a plaque at Graduation are the following:

Samantha Bramel, AAS
Robin Casillas, AAS
Katherine Magner, AAS
Mary Parker, AAS
Kasidy Pighini, AAS
Heather Urzua, AAS

MEDICAL ASSISTANT

Medical Assistants with a 4.0 grade point average receive an Outstanding Achievement Award plaque at Graduation.  The recipients of this award in the March 2015 Commencement Exercises were the following:

Diane June Bogle
David Gary Chow
Diane Gonzales
Stacy Vives


RMA

Medical Assistants who take and pass the American Medical Technologists Examination receive an RMA (Registered Medical Assistant)  plaque for their achievement.  The recipients of this award in the March 2015 Commencement Exercises are the following:

Diane Bogle, RMA
Sheryl Bookman, RMA
David Chow, RMA
Irene Noiboonsook, RMA
Stacy Vives, RMA

LEGAL PROGRAMS

Paralegal Studies or Legal Administrative Assistants with a 4.0 grade point average receive an Outstanding Achievement Award plaque at Graduation.  The recipients of this award in the March 2015 Commencement Exercises were the following:

Brandon Baxter

Susan Hughes

HONORS

COURT REPORTING

High Honors for Court Reporting is a grade point average of 3.5 and above.  Honors is a grade point average of 3.0 to 3.4.

Samantha Bramel, AAS  Robin Casillas, AAS Jinna Kim, Certificate Katherine Magner, AAS Mary Parker, AAS Kasidy Pighini, AAS Daniel Prince, Jr., Certificate Denise Talancon, Certificate Heather Urzua, AAS

High Honors High Honors High Honors High Honors Honors High Honors High Honors Honors Honors

MEDICAL ASSISTANT

High honors for Medical Assistant is 3.85 and above.  Honors is a grade point average of 3.5 to 3.84.

Diana June Bogle, Certificate	High Honors
Sheryl Bookman, Certificate	High Honors
Diane Gonzales, Certificate	High Honors
Amber Goodwin, Certificate	High Honors
Dena Hogue, Certificate	Honors
Moises Martinez, Certificate	Honors
Nancy Mendoza, Certificate	Honors
Irene Noiboonsook, Certificate	High Honors
Stacy Vives, Certificate	High Honors

LEGAL PROGRAMS

   Legal Administrative Assistant

Madina Akbari, Certificate	Honors
Sochilt Corrales, Certificate	Honors
Michelle Reyes, Certificate	Honors
Leticia San Juan, Certificate	Honors

Paralegal Studies

Brandon Baxter, A.A.	High Honors
Priscilla Bonilla, A.A.	Honors
Susan Hughes, A.A.	High Honors
Ana Nolasco-Subias, A.A.	Honors
Johanna Piedra, A.A.	Honors
Alice Quinonez, A.A.	High Honors
Andrea Scarbrough, A.A.	Honors
Monica Torres, A.A.	Honors

High honors for Legal Program is 3.85 and above.  Honors is a grade point average of 3.5 to 3.84.

To learn more about any of these programs, click on this link South Coast College and go to GET INFO NOW!!!

Commencement Speaker, Court Reporting

Cassandra Caldarella, CSR, Speaker at the South Coast College Graduation

South Coast College in Orange, CA, is fortunate to have one of its outstanding alumna speak to the court reporting graduates at the March 2015 Commencement Exercises at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.  If you wish to have a great resource for court reporting, click on the following link to her website.

Cassandra Caldarella's Website

Cassandra Caldarella, CSR, Pictured in the photograph on the left.

If after viewing Cassandra Caldarella's Website, you wish to get involved in the exciting career of court reporting, click on the link South Coast College and go to GET INFO NOW!

South Coast College Court Reporting Alumnae Reunion

South Coast College in Orange, CA, court reporting alumnae constantly stay in touch through social media, attending the Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) Examinations to support candidates, and through mini-reunions such as the recent one at the Yard House in Fashion Island.  What an impressive group of talented individuals!  If you would like to be a part of this group of energetic, entrepreneurial individuals, look into the Court Reporting Program at South Coast College.  Click the link South Coast College and go to GET INFO NOW!

All Certified Shorthand Reporter Graduates of South Coast College

Canyon High School Tribute -- Ivy Reid, CSR

   

South Coast College in Orange, CA, is proud to pay tribute to Canyon High School for its outstanding graduate, Ivy Reid, CSR, who is an alumna of South Coast College.  The school was presented with her picture and information about her accomplishments since graduating from high school.  Ivy was a student who did not immediately pursue a specific career because she was undecided as to what she wanted to do.  For many years, she worked at Bank of America before she came upon the career of court reporting.  Read Ivy's story below.

Ivy Reid, CSR

Ivy Reid, CSR, became a deposition reporter in 2012.  Before signing up at South Coast College, she was a student at Rancho Santiago College working on general education classes when she met a friend whose aunt was a court reporter. Her friend told her about how great it is to be a court reporter.  While working at the Bank of America, she started evening courses at South Coast College in the evening program, and the rest is history.  She loves being a deposition reporter.  She has had an opportunity to do some really big cases: one involving the Beverly Center in Beverly Hills and another involving the former CEO of Apple and Pepsi. Every day is different.  She has taken depositions of all types of experts in their fields.

If your story is similar to Ivy's and you wish to follow the same path to the exciting career of court reporting, click this link  
South Coast College and go to GET INFO NOW!

Visit the South Coast College website to see similar tributes to high schools for their outstanding graduates.  Click News