The winners of several grants and scholarships supported by theNational Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) were recognized during the 2026 NCRA Conference & Expo held July 16-18 in Bellevue, Wash.
The 2026 recipients of the Michelle Grimes Memorial Grant are Cymone Armstrong, RSR, from Fresno, Calif., and Simone Biller, RSR, from Spokane, Wash. Each recipient will be awarded $2,000. The grant honors Michelle Grimes, a stenographer from Illinois who participated in the 100-Day Practice Group hosted by NCRF Trustee Rich Germosen, FAPR, RDR, CRR, on Facebook. A fundraiser that supports the grant was created as a tribute to her dedication.
The grant is open to new professionals who hold the RSR or the RPR certification, are in their first two years of reporting or captioning, provide a letter of recommendation, and answer a short essay question.
The 2026 recipients of the Monyeen Black Memorial Grant are Emily Deans, RPR, from Sand Springs, Ga., and Gianna DiNella, RPR, from Westmont, Ill. Each recipient will receive $2,000. The grant honors the memory of Monyeen Black, RPR, CRR, who was an active member of the 100-Day Practice Group on Facebook and is open to new professionals who have passed either the RSR or the RPR certification. Applicants must be members of NCRA, submit an essay, and a letter of recommendation.
The 2026 recipients of the Gina Battaglia Memorial Student Intern Scholarship are Wendy Lee from Forest Hills, N.Y., and Katrina Newman, also from Forest Hills, N.Y. The scholarship was established in memory of Gina Battaglia, daughter of NCRA member Stephanie Battaglia, RDR, CRR, and supports court reporting students by helping offset the costs associated with their education and early career preparation. Each recipient is awarded $2,000.
First place winners of the 2026 New Professionals Grant are Liane Hatch from Whispering Pines, N.C., and Valerie Richter from West Allis, Wis. Each first-place winner will receive $4,000. The 2026 second-place winners of the grant will receive $2,000 each and are Tabea Adam, RPR, from St. Paul, Alberta, Canada, and Alecia Madison from Atlanta, Ga. The grant is available for working court reporters or captioners in their first year out of school to help support start-up expenses such as purchasing software and earning credentials. Applicants must be NCRA members, provide a letter of recommendation from an employer, and submit an essay.
Crimson Elizondo of Uvalde, Texas, a student at San Antonio College, and Samantha Brown of Garden Grove, Calif., a student at the College of Court Reporting, are the inaugural recipients of the Kim Dore-Hackbarth Memorial Student Scholarship. Each recipient will receive a $2,000 scholarship to support their court reporting education and professional development. The scholarship honors the memory of Kim Dore-Hackbarth, a respected realtime reporter who devoted more than 30 years working at Buell Realtime Reporting.
For additional information about these and other scholarships and grants, contact NCRF Director Jill Parker Landsman at jlandsman@ncra.org.
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