Sage College Campus Convention

Sage College in Moreno Valley, Calif., was the site of the April 30 NCRA campus convention – with 110 students in attendance! NCRA Board Director Kimi George kicked off the day with an inspiring keynote presentation, followed by a seminar titled “Exploring the Official World” by Toni O’Neill, which was chock full of information on the inner workings of the California court system. California Court Reporters Association members Christine Taylor, Judith Gillespie, and Saba McKinley next teamed up with Deposition Reporters Association members Leslie Toledo and Cynthia Dunbar for a powerful panel presentation that included topics such as technology, mentoring, and the importance of networking. It was a great mix of information from experienced reporters and one newer professional – Cynthia received her CSR and RPR in 2008, so it really resonated with the students when she talked about all the ways involvement with her state and national associations had been beneficial.

Following lunch and time to visit the vendors, the afternoon seminars included “Your Future Dictionary in Realtime Reporting” by Anissa Nierenberger, “So You’d Like to be a Captioner?” by Nierenberger and Karen Ruud, and “Court Reporting Tips from an Expert Witness” by Vickie Norton. Vickie is both an engineer and a pilot, and she has testified in dozens of plane crash trials as an expert witness, sharing her unique perspective on unusual exhibits the future reporters may be asked to mark, as well as tips for aggressively collecting the information needed for preparing the transcript. Four vendors exhibited – Advantage Software, Dictionary Jumpstart, ProCAT, and Stenograph.