Stenographers with 40+ Years of Service
I’ve attended many conferences, but never have I ever experienced a conference like Steno in the City. When I arrived at the first Steno in the City event in Washington, D.C., I could feel the excitement in the air. I kept asking, “Who is responsible for putting this together?” Everyone kept telling me Shaunise Day, but it was hard for me to believe that this one person had such a vision on how court reporting conferences should be held. Not only was the registration/check-in a breeze, but the networking event was full of fun, games, photo ops and lots of laughter. It afforded reporters the opportunity to get to know each other and make new friends in the Profession. It highlighted the reporters with years of service and service to the profession. And to top it all off, the photo session at the courthouse was second to none!!! Steno In The City’s 2022 Fearless Conference was held In Houston, Texas, and Shaunise leveled up our image and had the staircase wrapped in the Steno in the City logo. A proclamation from the City of Houston and professionals in the legal field were in attendance at the reception. The location of the host hotel was perfect and easily accessible to other attractions. The vendor area was visible and informative. The photoshoot taken on the staircase with all the reporters dressed in color-block attire was stellar. Overall, Houston was another good experience. Welcome to Atlanta, the location of the 2023 Steno in the City conference. I thought it would be difficult to attend the conference in my home city where I had to work in between sessions, but the agenda made it easy for me to do both. By this time, I realized Steno in the City had a “following” and people were excited to see what was next for the conference in the South. The welcome networking event at The Buckhead Club was electric (yes, we did the electric slide, too). A proclamation from the City of Atlanta was presented. The attendance had not only grown, but the attendees were from the North, South, East and West. It was such a privilege to meet so many reporters from California, which I hardly meet at the NCRA conventions, which I assumed was due to the locations and travel. There was a lot of love for Shaunise and what she is doing for our profession, and everybody wanted to know what they could contribute to continue the Steno in the City conferences going forward. And of course, the group photoshoot was a hit again. The speed contest was a new addition. The recognition of Charisse Kitt receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award brought us all to tears, and so did the loss of our dear fellow reporter from New York, Dom Turise. On a high note, I was so moved to have been recognized, along with my fellow reporters, for having over 40 years of service in the Court Reporting industry. When the conference was over, I left wanting more of Steno in the City. I continued to ask Shaunise what can I do to help, and I realized that she’s not going to tell you to do anything. I am challenging each of my colleagues to please consider contributing to Steno in the City as this will allow Shaunise Day to continue the work she so passionately and selflessly does to advance our profession. Diane King I had the pleasure of attending the Fearless Stenographers Conference 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia, this spring. A beautiful city, a wonderful time of year. Once again, Ms. Shaunise Day knocked the ball out of the park. What a wonderful experience it was for me. Starting with the Opening Reception to the Awards Luncheon was just plain enjoyment. After a successful and prosperous career, and having been away from the profession for such a long time, attending the conference made me want to be back amongst all of the amazing reporters with their many credentials and talents. I felt so young, again. I loved everyone that I had the opportunity to meet and look forward to being a part of the next event. The ladies in their splendid colors was a blast. Not counting out the gents that were present, of course. Thanks again, Shaunise, for a fantastic experience. Carl Suceda What to say about my Steno in the City experience? This is the second time I have been honored to attend SITC. It is one of the most enriching and uplifting conferences one can attend. You are in the presence of like-minded professionals who want to learn from each other and with each other. Hugs are given and stories are told! The level of the presentations given is always of the highest quality. I am always energized to attend SITC and even more so as the conference draws to a close. Shaunise has a wonderful ability to assemble networking and learning opportunities that are not to be missed. Thank you for another amazing Steno in the City! Karen Tyler I left the Fearless Stenographers Conference inspired in a way I’ve never experienced at any other gathering of court reporters/stenographers in my career. It felt like steno church! I had brought two members of my team because I had a feeling it would be inspiring and beneficial to anyone in the orbit of court reporters. And it surely was. Everything about the Fearless seminars was spot on: software, steno, voice writing, captioning, officials, freelance, tech, AI, pricing and clear communication of our worth. On top of that, I love a good backstory, and the backstories were captivating. Whitney Kumar’s journey to the Judge Judy show; Kim Xavier’s heartwarming and empowering talk about her hair and perception/messaging; Charisse Kitt/Kendra, James/Rose Detloff each telling their personal stories of certs, how they got them, the impact certs have had on their lives, and where they are as a result. So inspiring. I only wish I had been able to
Speed in the City Contest – April 2023
Speed Test Results – By Allie Hall In Atlanta we held our second SITC speed contest. This year we decided to have a speed contest and a super speed contest. The speed contest consisted of one five-minute literary take at 220 wpm, one five-minute jury charge take at 260 wpm, and one five-minute Q&A take at 280 wpm. The super speed contest consisted of one five-minute Q&A take at 320 wpm. Nine contestants signed up for the contests and eight competed. Five transcribed, and here are the results: 220 wpm Literary: First Place – Patricia Nilsen with 19 errors and 98.273 percent. Second Place – Karen Tyler with 31 errors and 97.182 percent. Third Place – Ron Cook with 34 errors and 96.909 percent. Fourth Place – Rose Detloff with 50 errors and 95.455 percent. 260 wpm Jury Charge: First Place – Patricia Nilsen with 33 errors and 97.461 percent. Second Place – Karen Tyler with 51 errors and 96.077 percent. Third Place – Rose Detloff with 64 errors and 95.076 percent. 280 wpm Testimony: First Place – Karen Tyler with 63 errors and 95.500 percent. Second Place – Patricia Nilsen with 69 errors and 95.071 percent. Speed Contest Overall: First Place – Patricia Nilsen with 96.935 percent. Second Place – Karen Tyler with 96.253 percent. Super Speed Contest: First Place – Mark Kislingbury with 42 errors and 97.375 percent. Second Place – Patricia Nilsen with 73 errors and 95.437 percent. Third Place – Karen Tyler qualified for two full minutes. Karen’s score for the entire five-minute take was 93.437. This past April I attended my first (of hopefully many!) Fearless Stenographers conference. I was intrigued when I saw there would be a “Super Speed” contest of 320 wpm. I’d never heard of speeds that high. It turns out the reason I’d never heard of them was because it had never been done before! I didn’t know until I got there that I would have a chance to make history! I’ve done the NCRA contests in the past, and also a few of the Intersteno contests, and I know that a lot goes into making them work. Everything ran smoothly, and I was so impressed (and also excited when I heard my name called as having qualified on the Super Speed!). I didn’t set out to break a record when I signed up, but I was thrilled to have that opportunity. My mother passed away in late 2021, and I’d been struggling to find any motivation for anything for over a year. Signing up for this contest gave me something to strive for, and it was a big deal for me personally. I also want to say attending the awards luncheon was exciting and inspiring not just to hear my own name called, but to hear about the other amazing reporters who were honored. This conference highlights the achievements of veteran reporters, but also shines a light on the future of our profession. I cannot wait to return! Patricia Neilsen
I May Not Be a Steno, but I am a Steno Husband.
Steno Husbands The times that you see steno spouses at conferences, they’re usually off sightseeing or lounging by the pool. But not me. I love interacting with the reporters, documenting by taking pictures, and even chatting with the speakers. Being part of the steno community, I know just how big of a deal they are. Being a paid participant at SITC ATL, I was able to attend the networking event, speaker sessions, and the cocktail happy hour. Everything was amazing. We had a blast both during the day and at night at SITC. I met so many amazing reporters and even a couple other steno husbands. It’s always so great to see fellow steno spouses supporting their steno spouses. Attending SITC with my steno spouse motivates me to talk about and promote the profession even after the conference is over. Because court reporting has changed our lives, I tell everyone we know and meet about it every chance I get. Wearing my Steno in the City t-shirt always sparks up a conversation, even with reporters who have yet to attend a conference. I love being involved and promoting this profession. If you don’t know by now, my name is Jose Lazo, a proud steno husband! My wife is Anna Mar-Lazo, a two-year reporter in the San Antonio, Texas area. Recently, our 14-year-old daughter participated in the AtoZ program. And because we know how this profession can change her life, we will support her every step of the way should she choose to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Want to know more about how I encouraged my wife through court reporting school as well as how to be an overall supportive steno spouse? You can listen to my episode on the Steno Talk podcast, Season 2, Episode 11: From The Other Side Of The Machine, wherever podcasts are available.
2023 Steno in the City People’s Choice Award
By: Denee Vadell aka @StenoFluencer When I hear the words “Steno in the City,” I think of community, passion, and empowerment. If you have not attended a Steno in the City networking event, conference, or retreat yet, then you are truly missing out #FOMO!! I always leave feeling fired up and ready to make an even bigger impact in my profession. Shaunise never disappoints and she puts her heart and soul into each event. There were many deserving awards given at the Fearless Conference, and I was the recipient of the 2023 Steno in the City People’s Choice Award. Being a steno influencer to me means being a leader in the steno community and promoting steno on social media to get people interested in steno, but to also encourage and motivate current court reporting students so that they graduate. I also want to encourage and motivate the stenographers who have been in the steno game for years and just need an extra spark of excitement or even just a laugh so that they can either fall back in love with steno and/or feel empowered to spread steno, too. I created StenoFluencer “Living a Life of Purpose & Service,” to spread steno and to showcase our unique skills and magical world of steno because us stenographers really do live beautiful lives. We love steno and are so passionate about what we do, and there are so many people out there who still don’t realize that steno exists. People have no idea that steno is even an option as a career path. My goal is for children to know what a stenographer is before high school and that this is a viable career option for them, just as being a nurse, teacher, doctor, police officer, or lawyer is. They will be saying, “I want to be a stenographer when I grow up.” There are many talented and creative steno influencers doing the same thing I’m doing, and I believe it’s truly working. We all share each other’s posts, comments, we like and engage because that’s how we #spreadsteno. I’m convinced that spreading steno will help stop the stenographer shortage. If we all do our small part, we will prevail. To be recognized for doing something that I love, which is creating content, and telling my steno story through social media posts about the career that changed the trajectory of my life is truly a dream come true. Thank you for giving me my flowers while I am still here on this earth. Thank you for choosing me as the 2023 Steno in the City’s People’s Choice Award Recipient. Thank you Steno in the City for creating this award and honoring the steno influencers who promote steno in a unique way.
The Fearless Stenographers Conference 2023 – Recap
We did it again! This past spring, the Fearless Stenographers community convened in Atlanta, Georgia, for the Fearless Stenographers Conference 2023. Several months prior, I wasn’t sure if we were going to be able to pull it off, but God gets all the glory for making it possible. Tragedy Strikes. On November 28, 2022, while mulling over committees and coordinating teams of volunteers to ensure that Atlanta would be an amazing steno experience, I picked up a call identified as “Scam Likely.” (Yes, I answer all calls.) However, the person on the other end of the line was calling from the hospital, looking for the next of kin to my little brother Stevie Day. My brother was in a serious accident. In that split second, my world stopped. I dropped everything, including steno, to rush to the side of my little brother. There are two things that I love with my whole heart: Stevie and steno. My little brother, a pedestrian, had been hit by a reckless driver, a tragic incident that would upend my world. After remaining in the ICU for approximately four weeks, the Good Lord called Stevie home to be with our mother on December 23rd, 2022. To this day the loss of my little brother leaves me feeling bewildered, sad, hurt, and confused. Up until that point, I had never felt so alone. Though some might say “That’s life,” little do they know that Stevie was my everything. Here I was engrossed in planning a conference and now an unexpected funeral, struggling to find the strength to do it all. I asked myself, how can I get off this emotional roller coaster and back to business? Though I had no answers, God did. On January 13, 2023, we held a funeral service for Stevie, who, in a million years, I never would have thought I would be burying. After all, he was my little brother. It was supposed to be the other way around; at least that is how I had imagined it. Nonetheless, we laid Stevie to rest, knowing that, on this day, he would be safely enveloped in the eternal embrace of our mother’s arms, a place that we both had desired to be since she departed prematurely from this world. Picking Up the Pieces. On the following day, January 14, it was time to set my sadness and grief aside and catch up on planning the conference. I vividly recall laying it all out before God, asking why and how. Everything suddenly seemed messy, disordered, and incomplete. The 320 wpm test, which had to be coordinated, left me wondering how on Earth I’d make it happen. I wouldn’t be able to reach out to any competitors this time around, including Allie Hall, who would be competing. “Lord, how can I make this work?” And then there were the sponsors. Here it was 90 days before the conference, and my mind was flooded with questions. Lord, how will we attract them? Should I cancel? Since the contract for the hotel has already been signed, should I refund everyone’s money and take a huge loss? Even though our first block of hotel rooms is filled, can the show truly go on? Behind the scenes, I was a disaster, and everything around me seemed to be falling apart. I couldn’t stop thinking about my beloved brother and mother and the emptiness I was feeling inside. How do I pull it all together? After many long, sleepless nights spent pacing the floor at 3:00 a.m., praying and fasting, fasting and praying, I knew I had to woman up and just believe that it would all work out somehow. When I started to embrace the fact that no weapon formed against me will prosper, it was then that God impressed upon me to just trust the process, assuring me that it would all work out to His glory. And with His blessed assurance, I rolled up my sleeves and got busy. I share this deeply personal story with you because this is the gritty part of life that we often don’t get to see. Social media gives us the false impression that all is perfect, easy, seamless, requiring little effort or elbow grease. But then there’s reality. Planning a conference singlehandedly without a team, I soon discovered, is an unhealthy, arduous undertaking that I will never attempt again. However, since it didn’t seem right or fair to hand off incomplete, messy assignments to others at that time, I rolled up my sleeves and resolved to just get it done. After all, this is hard work that will only create stress and anxiety for those whose passion does not run deep for steno. Answered Prayer. As I continued to have faith, renew my mind, believe, and trust the process, the next thing I knew, a few individuals reached out to ask if they could serve as sponsors. And then a few more sponsors rolled in. Though Steno in the City (SITC) is small and typically falls short on the back end, it does big things in terms of promoting our profession and bringing the steno community together. We trust that our sponsor list will continue to grow as we set out to do outstanding things for the court reporting and captioning community. Needless to say, God intervened to ensure the resounding success of our Fearless Stenographers Conference on April 13 through April 15, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia, a recap of which follows. Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding the loss of my brother, I am happy to report that we, as a team, came together and pulled off another epic conference. Three weeks before the event, I delegated tasks to my steno tribe, who I appreciate to the moon and back. In Atlanta it was all hands on deck. The SITC community convened to make the conference a magical, inspirational, and fun weekend for all. The Fearless Stenographers Conferences are intended to give attendees the impression
The Fearless Stenographers Conference 2024 – Long Beach, CA
The Fearless Stenographers Conference 2024 – Long Beach, CA