The Fearless Stenographer’s Conference was held in Houston, Texas in March of 2022. Students, new professionals, and veteran reporters attended this amazing event, and I think I can speak for a lot of them when I say we all left feeling inspired and motivated. There were many great speakers in attendance that spoke on a variety of court reporting related topics, and I was asked to participate in one of the sessions.
Shacara Mapp, Candice Andino and I presented a seminar entitled “Certifications Matter”. During the seminar we shared with everyone our journeys toward gaining NCRA certifications. For some it was a long journey and for others it was done in record time. The point that resonates with me is we didn’t give up and we kept going until we reached our goals.
Taking tests to become certified can be a stressful process, but obtaining national certifications is important because in some cases it enables you to qualify for a higher salary and it demonstrates your level of skill as a court reporter. Having the initials RPR, RMR, CRR, CRC, and RDR after your name can speak for you before anyone ever meets you. The session was well-attended, and we got a lot of feedback from attendees saying how much they learned.
Those who were not certified and those who wanted to gain additional certifications were now excited about working towards their goals. I’m grateful that our session was able to excite people enough to want to attain certifications for themselves. I have been a court reporter for 27 years, and even though I am an RPR, RMR, CRR,
CSR, and RDR, I left the conference feeling motivated and thankful for my career. I can’t wait to attend Steno in the City’s next conference. Angela Grant, RDR, CRR, CSR