BIANCA

Ms. Bianca Blocker is a student in the School of Court Reporting and anticipates graduation in Fall 2023. Ms. Blocker shares that, “the Student Spotlight is recognition for the hardwork and dedication I’ve put in throughout the past year. It’s an honor to be recognized by my Professors. I’m very motivated and dedicated to my academics and happy this shines through.” Her inspiration to study court reporting stems from her love of language, reading, and writing allowing Ms. Blocker to combine all three. “I can hone my current skill set and learn new ones. I’ve been able to broaden my horizons through those interests while developing a new passion.”

Her most memorable time at Plaza College has been visiting the federal courthouse with Director Santucci and meeting current court reporters, for this gave her insight into her future career. This semester, Ms. Blocker is looking forward to attending the NCRA convention in July. This three day event taking place in Houston, Texas, hosts a variety of seminars with special topics dedicated to students, particularly learning about the virtual component this career path offers. She is excited to network with new industry professionals, learn new techniques, and see friends during this time.

Ms. Blocker acknowledges the strong support system Plaza College provides. “Director Santucci continually has insightful tips, always encouraging and motivating the students. Sometimes we plateau and that’s ok as long as we get back on our path of progress. All professors are always available and share their knowledge of the field. My peers are supportive and it’s so nice to practice together and develop our skills. President Callahan is very supportive and it’s nice to know we have his vote of confidence. Ms. Cohn is always available to encourage me and being able to have this means a lot. We need that push to keep going and to find this at Plaza has been life changing.”

Ms. Blocker’s dream job is to work in a courthouse on high profile cases that give her the front seat to what others see on the other side of the media, especially in pop culture. Most recently she was awarded a student scholarship for $500 from the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association and will be putting this towards her tuition. Director Santucci says, “Ms. Bianca Blocker lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have been so impressed with Ms. Blocker’s dedication to Court Reporting. She is the only student who has attended every NCRA Convention since she started our Court Reporting program. I had the honor of getting to know her at last year’s convention in Orlando. She came to New York City and joined us during Court Reporting & Captioning week at Southern District. She exemplifies the need to network in this field. Ms. Blocker will be an excellent Court Reporter.”

She strives to strike a healthy balance between her academic and home responsibilities by taking time to rest and recharge. “I like to take one day out of the week to rejuvenate and read a book or watch a movie. Working a full time job has been difficult, but I have strong time management skills and make sure everything gets done that day and doesn’t carry over. There’s a time for everything and it’s important to be consistent in practicing and doing my homework in this program.” Professor Richards shares that, “Ms. Blocker is a fantastic student, she does the work and puts in the practice time!! Court reporting is a career that requires someone to do the hard work and take care of the details and Bianca understands that and goes the extra mile to get things right. She understands the meaning of being a guardian of the record!”

Her favorite summer beverage is strawberry lemonade and she enjoys going to the beach because the ocean offers a lot of serenity. She recently completed and recommends watching Next In Fashion on Netflix.