Melaina got her Bachelor of Science degree in 2018 from Lewis-Clark State College in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Afterwards, she found she had an interest in court reporting, so she began attending Green River College for court reporting. As she progressed in her court reporting program, Melaina reached out to B&A to see if she could start shadowing depositions alongside more experienced reporters. In February of 2023, she began shadowing depositions with B&A reporters while simultaneously working towards completing certification tests for court reporting. Melaina was shadowing two to three depositions a week with B&A, so when a Scheduling Assistant position with B&A became available in the summer, she decided to apply in the hopes of expanding her skillset and continuing to grow in the court reporting industry. Melaina says that “everyone here at B&A is SO supportive of the field and court reporting students!”
Since joining B&A, she has learned the ins and outs of the scheduling and administrative sides of the court reporting industry. Melaina believes that not only shadowing depositions, but working in B&A’s scheduling department, “has been really valuable, and it has been exciting to get the chance to peek behind the curtain and learn about everything that goes into providing clients with an accurate and professional transcript.” In November of 2023, Melaina passed the test to become a certified transcriptionist, and she recently took on her first transcription job! She’s continuing to work towards passing the last test to become a fully certified reporter!
In her free time, Melaina loves going back to Coeur d’Alene and making immersive art pieces with her best friend. Last summer, they had their first gallery showing. She loves working on any craft that allows her to use her hands. Last year, she learned how to weld and a few months ago she taught herself how to make felt animals. Melaina used to travel a lot but since the pandemic, she’s learned to become more comfortable staying at home, cooking with her husband and snuggling her cats!
Melaina is looking forward to working at B&A as a fully certified reporter when she passes the testimony portion of the court reporting certification!