Success Stories

Karla Dominguez began her studies in January 2003 in the night program. While going to school, she worked as a grader at South Coast College. Karla’s success began with her positive attitude. She worked diligently on her studies. Her efforts paid off in July of 2007 when she passed the CSR on her first try. Karla is currently working as a deposition reporter.

Carlos Hicho, another night student, began school in May 2001. Busy with work and a young family, Carlos juggled his busy schedule and pursued his dream of becoming a court reporter. He qualified to take the CSR in July of 2005 and has since passed the CSR. Carlos is currently working as a deposition reporter.

Diana Covarrubias started school in January 2002 in the night program. She qualified to take the CSR in February of 2007. Her progress is even more impressive when considering that she took time off to have a baby. Diana completed her studies, passed the CSR, and is now working as a court reporter.

Selena Babayan flew through the court reporting program in an amazing 18 months. This young lady passed the first qualifier she took. The qualifier is the last exam needed prior to taking the CSR, which she also passed on her first attempt in May 2005. Selena is currently working as a court reporter.

Sheryl Weiderhaft began her studies in January 2005. Sheryl pursued her studies passionately and qualified to take the state exam in March 2007. She passed the CSR on her first attempt and is now working as a deposition reporter.

Vanessa Graves completed her education at an amazingly fast pace. She started school in August 2005 and qualified for the CSR in February 2007. Vanessa passed the machine portion of the CSR on her first attempt. She re-took and passed the English portion on her second attempt. Vanessa is now a working deposition reporter.

Candice Guerra completed school in an amazing 13 months, passing the CSR on her first attempt. She is currently working as a deposition reporter in Orange County. She came to us directly from high school and is following in the footsteps of her aunt, an official court reporter in Los Angeles for over twenty years.

Todd Olivas completed his training at South Coast College in 1996. Having had success with a web site development business, Todd decided to open up his own court reporting agency. He has a number of reporters working for him providing deposition services for his clients. You can learn more about Todd at his company web site, www.ToddOlivas.com.

Kris Tanoue came to South Coast College from Hawaii. Leaving her career as a middle school teacher, Kris sought a career change. Since graduating in 2006, Kris has worked as a deposition reporter in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Alex Joka completed his court reporting training at South Coast College in 1999 and is currently working as an official reporter in the Los Angeles County court system.

Kathy Hettick, a South Coast College graduate, is an official reporter in the Orange County court system. Kathy also works part-time at South Coast College helping other students with the qualifying process. Her motivation to finish what she started is an inspiration to the students.

Bob Sullivan, a South Coast College Alumnus from the 1980s, reports in the criminal courts in Santa Ana. In addition to his responsibilities in the court systems, Bob has volunteered to read the CSR exam for approximately the last 20 years.

Robert Short graduated in 1993 and reports depositions, specializing in complex business litigation cases. His specialty has taken him to many parts of the world, including Nigeria, the Philippines, Japan, France and Thailand. Robert has made a point of being a frequent visitor to the South Coast College campus where he visits students in class, offering encouragement. He is a great mentor to students considering his career experiences and the fact that he completed school in 19 months.

Stephanie Leslie came to South Coast College after completing her Bachelor’s degree. She was another focused student, completing the program in less than two years. She is currently working as a reporter.

Jodi Freeburg came to South Coast College from Nebraska. In fact, during her senior year of high school she visited the campus accompanied by her high school softball team who had been in San Diego for a tournament. Jodi approached her training at South Coast College with the aggressiveness and determination she developed as an athlete and completed the program in less than 2 years. Today, Jodi is a practicing deposition reporter in Nebraska where she returned after graduation from South Coast College in 2004.

Whitney Kumar Valadez completed in her education at South Coast College in an impressive 2 years. She passed the March 2006 CSR exam on her first attempt. Whitney currently works as an official court reporter. Her twin sister is now a student and is on her way to joining her sister as a court reporter.

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