Kathryn Delap, a Ridgewood native and student at Plaza College, was one of the recipients of the 2023 Horizon Scholarship for excellent work in court reporting.
Delap, 36, who currently works as a chef, enrolled at Plaza College after receiving a degree at Boston College in 2008. Today, she is one of five students attending Plaza College to receive the 2023 Horizon Scholarship.
“It’s such an honor. I love the program. I love all the work I’m going to be getting into,” Delap said. “But really, I’m just super excited to be not only selected but recognized as somebody who’s up and coming.”
Delap said she decided to go back to school when she realized that she wanted to do something with her degree in liberal arts.
“I was an English major in a past life, and then I ended up going to culinary school. But I always had it in the back of my head that I should do something with my liberal arts degree,” Delap said.
She would then realize that she wanted to work in courts thanks to a family friend, who recommended the career path to her.
“I had a family friend who was retiring and he worked in the New York City court system as a freelancer and in the courts, and he was just saying, you can make a big pile of money and it’s right up your alley in terms of wanting to do something more academic and use my degrees,” Delap said.
Located in Forest Hills, Plaza College is the he only NCRA (National Court Reporters Association) approved court reporting school in New York City.
“Plaza College is proud to be a center for excellence in court reporting,” said Karen Santucci, director of Plaza College’s court reporting program and the New York delegate for NCRA.
According to the New York State Court Reporters Association, “The Horizon Scholarship Fund is organized for the purpose of sponsoring educational and scientific projects pertaining to the art of manual or mechanical verbatim reporting by the use of shorthand symbols, with particular emphasis on training and education, and study in the advancement of the art of shorthand reporting.”
In order to be eligible for the scholarship, students must be enrolled in a licensed New York state court reporting school and achieve a B average or greater. Applicants must pass a school-administered test of 150 words per minute with at least 95% accuracy and submit a 200-word personal essay on their court reporting school experience.
