Emily Faulds, of Greenburg, Pa., was initially turned onto stenography by her grandfather, who felt her attention to detail and skills with language would make her a good fit. But it wasn’t until years later that, working in the county courthouse, she took the thought of becoming a court reporter off the back burner.
UTS | How did you first get the idea of being a court reporter? Did you have another career before you started school?
EF | I started at a state university in Pennsylvania to become a teacher. After two years, I realized that even though I like working with children and teaching, I did not want to do that full-time. I ended up at my local community college and earned a business-marketing degree.
While I was in my degree program, my grandfather called me and suggested that I look into becoming a stenographer because of my attention to detail and my English skills. He proceeded to tell me that the college I was attending had a program. I checked with the registrar and was told that they had not had the program since the 1970s, so I put the thought about being a court reporter on the back burner.
I ended up working at the county courthouse in a filing office during the pandemic. The job was not what I wanted to do, and I would see the court reporters dropping off transcripts and the thought of becoming a court reporter came off the back burner. I looked at the NCRA website and found that the neighboring community college, Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), had a court reporting program. I contacted CCAC and program director Mary Beth Johnson, CRI, and she called me back and within a few days I was enrolled.
UTS | What do you love about stenography?
EF | I love that stenography is such a unique skill; it takes a lot of time and energy to learn. I also love that it’s such a small community of people who are there to protect the record as well as provide captioning and CART services to those who need them.
UTS | Was Houston your first NCRA Conference? Tell us about it! Do you plan to go to Louisville next year?
EF | Houston was not my first NCRA Conference. I attended the NCRA Conference in Orlando in 2022. I had a great time both years! I made some great friends and have kept in touch with them since leaving Houston. I am planning on going to Louisville next year!
UTS | What is the best advice you’ve been given so far?
EF | Practice, practice, practice! We all hear that, and it is true, but I have also been given the advice that if you can write a dense literary take at 95% accuracy, then you can write anything.
UTS | What are your plans for when you finish school? What is your dream job?
EF | When I finish school, I am hoping to start working as an official reporter in the county that I currently work for.
UTS | Do you have a favorite legal movie or TV show?
EF | I love watching Legally Blonde, NCIS, and SVU.
UTS | What do you do when you aren’t studying?
EF | When I am not studying or working, I participate with a local community theater in their pit orchestra playing violin. I also enjoy reading, hiking, baking, and being with my friends and family.
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