The recipients of two $1,000 grants offered through the National Court Reporters Foundation have been announced. Bethan Williams, RSR, of Vancouver, Wash., has been awarded the Michelle Grimes Memorial Grant, and Erin Blair, RPR, of Windsor Heights, Iowa, has been awarded the Monyeen Black Memorial Grant.
Michelle Grimes Memorial Grant
This is the first year that the Michelle Grimes Memorial Grant has been offered. Michelle Grimes was a stenographer from Illinois who participated in the 100-day practice group on Facebook hosted by Rich Germosen, FAPR, RDR, CRR. The grant was also created in honor of Germosen receiving his FAPR distinction in 2022 through a fundraiser hosted by Allie Hall, RDR, CRR, and many of his other colleagues.
“There are days as a student where you want to give up, and you can’t imagine ever seeing the end of school,” says Williams. “So it feels wonderful to receive this grant knowing that I’m on the other side. Thank you for making this possible! I want to let all students know that their dreams of becoming a court reporter are possible. It is not easy, but it is so worth it.”
Monyeen Black Memorial Grant
The Monyeen Black Memorial Grant honors the memory of Monyeen Black, who passed away in January 2021. Monyeen was also an active member of Germosen’s Facebook practice group.
“I am honored to be selected as the recipient of the 2023 Monyeen Black Grant from NCRF,” says Blair. “I am grateful to the National Court Reporters Foundation for selecting me as a recipient. Monyeen Black’s struggle is a poignant example of striving for greatness through adversity, and as someone who has dealt with many mental health challenges in maintaining practice, I hope I can carry the torch of striving for stenographic excellence despite life’s challenges and inspire the future generation of stenographic professionals.”
Both grants are provided in support of new professionals who hold the RSR or the RPR certification and are in their first two years of reporting or captioning. Applicants must also provide a letter of recommendation and an essay.
For additional information about these and other scholarships and grants, contact Jill Parker Landsman at jlandsman@ncra.org.
