Eneida Mendez from Queens awarded a $500 scholarship
RESTON, Va., Aug. 2, 2021— The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers, has announced that Eneida Mendez from Queens, N.Y., a student at Plaza College in Forest Hills, N.Y., has been awarded a $500 NCRA A to Z® Scholarship. The scholarships are supported by funds from the National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF), the philanthropic arm of NCRA.
Mendez, who is writing at 120 words per minute, expects to graduate in 2022 and has plans to work as a freelance court reporter upon graduation. She has small children and is looking forward to the flexibility of the job.
“I honestly did not know court reporting existed. I just so happened to have a bad day at work and started venting, but the moment I said, ‘I needed a career change,’ the news anchor on ABC7NY started talking about court reporting in a nearby school,” Mendez said.
“It was amazing! The following Monday, I called the school and by Thursday, I was registered to attend the A to Z program. Receiving this scholarship will help me financially this semester, and earning this scholarship means that anything is possible. This scholarship allows me to pursue a career that has endless possibilities,” she added.
To be eligible for the NCRA A to Z Scholarship, students must meet the requirements listed below and submit an application.
- Have completed an NCRA A to Z Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program.
- Have received an NCRA A to Z Certificate of Completion.
- Have attained an exemplary academic record.
- Have passed one skills test writing 60-100 words per minute at the time of submission.
For more information about the NCRA A to Z Scholarship, or the NCRA A to Z Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program, please contact the Education Department at schools@ncra.org
NCRF is currently accepting donations to meet its 2021-2022 goal of $5,000 to fund an additional 10 scholarships. To donate to the A2Zfund, text the keyword A2ZFUND to 41444 with this message: A2ZFUND $Amount Name and Message.
The court reporting and captioning professions offer viable career choices that do not require a four-year college degree and yet offer good salaries, flexible schedules, and interesting venues. There is currently an increasing demand for more reporters and captioners to meet the growing number of employment opportunities available nationwide and abroad. Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more.
To arrange an interview with a working court reporter or captioner, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ncra.org.
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has been internationally recognized for promoting excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text for more than 100 years. NCRA is committed to supporting its more than 14,000 members in achieving the highest level of professional expertise with educational opportunities and industry-recognized court reporting, educator, and videographer certification programs. NCRA impacts legislative issues and the global marketplace through its actively involved membership.
Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the court reporting field is expected to grow by 7 percent through the year 2028, faster than the projected employment growth across all occupations. According to 247/WallSt.com, the court reporting profession ranks sixth out of 25 careers with the lowest unemployment rate, just 0.7 percent. Career information about the court reporting profession—one of the leading career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree—can be found at NCRA DiscoverSteno.org.
As a charitable organization, the Foundation relies almost solely on tax-deductible donations, the majority of which come from NCRA members and associated businesses. To donate, or for information on NCRF’s programs, visit NCRA/Foundation.org, or call 800/272-6272, ext. 126.