Vanessa Valdez, a court reporting student from Commerce City and a student at Plaza College in Queens, N.Y., is the 2025 recipient of the National Court Reporters Association’s (NCRA’s) Council on Approved Student Education (CASE) scholarship prize of $500.
To be eligible to apply, students must attend an NCRA-approved court reporting program, have an exemplary academic record and have passed one skills test writing at 160 wpm or above. Applicants also must submit an essay on a topic chosen by CASE.
Valdez, who will graduate in the summer of 2026, is following in her aunt’s footsteps — she has been a court reporter for as long as Valdez can remember.
“I am hoping to work at my local courthouse when I graduate,” she said. “Court reporting is a great career to get into because you can provide a good life for yourself while also having an interesting career that will never be boring.”