CCAC Student Wins Prestigious National Court Reporter Foundation Student Intern Scholarship
CCAC student Katie Picciano
Pittsburgh
Community College of Allegheny County student Katie Picciano has been named this year's winner of the National Court Reporter Foundation (NCRF) Student Intern Scholarship. The scholarship is a $1,000 award given annually to a high-achieving court reporting student who has completed the internship portion of their education. The NCRF scholarship program seeks to ensure that rising student court reporters and newly appointed court reporters receive encouragement and incentives to learn and strive for excellence. Recipients are nominated by their schools and must fulfill scholarship requirements.
"We at NCRF are so proud that Katie has earned our Student Intern Scholarship," said NCRF Chair Early Langley, RMR, a freelance court reporter from Danville, Calif. "We are delighted to honor her accomplishments and dedication with this award."
Among other requirements for the scholarship, applicants must complete an essay on a topic of current interest. In her essay on the topic "What has your student intern experience taught you about this profession in a post-COVID world?" Picciano shared how an increased reliance on technology during the pandemic had exposed weaknesses in the courts as well as in society as a whole.
Picciano is very appreciative of this recognition by NCRF, and she is grateful for the help she has had along the way. During her time at school and in her internship, she faced more than just the challenges of COVID-19 - she was also raising a baby as a first-time mom. Picciano is now excited to begin her career as an official court reporter in March at the Chester County Courthouse in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
"My teachers and classmates at CCAC, my National Court Reporters Association mentor, and all the professional court reporters I have met during my internship have been genuine and encouraging," she said. "They kept me motivated to stay on track to graduate in less than two years during a pandemic."
New scholarships for court reporting students are available. Visit the NCRF scholarships and grants page for a full list of opportunities.
Learn more about CCAC's Court Reporting programs.