Giving Back: A Friendsgiving to Remember:

Last Thursday evening, we came together on Zoom for the third annual Steno in the City Friendsgiving for students and new professionals. We had 199 students and new professionals sign up for this event. Nearly almost the same as last year. If that doesn’t say Steno United, I don’t know what does. This special night was all about gratitude, community, and celebrating the heartbeat of our profession.

We were blessed with a powerful lineup of speakers who openly shared their journeys—personal challenges, hard-earned victories, and the resilience that makes each of them a Fearless Stenographer in the making. The energy felt like a room full of current and future leaders. A huge shout-out to my friends who were speakers: Kerry Murphy (our amazing moderator), Denee Vadell, Anna Mar-Lazo, Andy Bajana, and Cesar Hurtado.

The purpose of the SITC Friendsgiving started two years ago in honor of my little brother, Stevie Day. Every Christmas, to make up for the loss of our mother, Brenda Day, I would gift Stevie $500. Since he is no longer here, I wanted to keep that tradition alive in a way that truly meant something. We are now heading into year three, and the impact continues to grow.

Our Friendsgiving lasted two full hours, and it was absolutely a success. I think everyone would agree that we left feeling empowered, motivated, and reconnected with our purpose.

From the start of my mission in 2019, I’ve always believed that what was missing in our profession was UNITY. Over time, that mission has made real progress and we are not stopping. We will continue doing all we can to move this profession forward, together.

If you missed this Friendsgiving due to class or time zone differences, all of our speakers will be at the next Fearless Stenographers Conference in Washington, D.C., taking place April 16–18, 2026. We hope to see you there!