On Thursday, August 8th, Plaza College hosted the Eighth Annual Court Reporting Symposium: “Stories of Steno.” The event kicked off with a live radio broadcast on AM 970, led by Arthur Aidala. He was joined by a distinguished panel of co-hosts, including Karen Santucci, Director of Plaza College’s Court Reporting Program; Nicole Robinson, Senior Court Reporter from Donald J. Trump’s Civil Trial; Denee Vadell, Senior Court Reporter and Stenofluencer; Eric Allen, Senior Court Reporter and President of the Union of the Supreme Court Reporters, and Denise Huntington, Former Senior Court Reporter.
During the broadcast, Nicole Robinson recounted her experiences as the court reporter for the civil Trump Trial in March 2024. Denee Vadell shared her journey of promoting the court reporting profession through social media, while Eric Allen discussed the increasing demand for court reporters. President Callahan concluded the program with a special announcement highlighting the irreplaceable role of human court reporters amidst the rise of artificial intelligence.
The Excellence in Advocacy Award was presented to Arthur Aidala and Denee Vadell in recognition of their outstanding efforts in championing the court reporting profession. Additionally, partner agencies such as Lex Reporting, Emerald Reporting, Dalco Reporting, Reynolds Reporting, MGR Reporting, Accurate Court Reporting Services, LH Reporting, Bee Reporting Services, and Jaguar Reporting were honored as the Stars of Steno.
The symposium wrapped up with an engaging Q&A panel featuring recent graduates who currently work in both freelance and the grand jury. Graduates provided advice and inspiration to current court reporting students and shared how Plaza College prepared them for their current positions. Katie Eranovic and Toni Figueroa, from the New York State Courts, spoke of the Court Reporting Trainee Program which allows court reporters in training to gain a year of experience in the court system before accepting a full time position.
The Eighth Annual Court Reporting Symposium proved to be a unique and lively networking event for professional court reporters, students, and those interested in entering this dynamic field.
