#61 - Introducing Delaney to the Court Reporter Podcast Team!

Hello, everyone. I am the host of the Court Reporter podcast, Brynn Reynolds Seymour. And today I have a very special guest joining.We are introducing a new member to our team who I'm so excited to have on board. Delaney Julianna, our new intern. Hi, guys.

I'm so glad that I could be a part of this and add to the work that's being done with this podcast. Yeah, it's really great to have this opportunity to be here with Bryn.

So, yes, Delaney is currently a sophomore at Sarah Lawrence College, is that right?

Yeah, that's correct.

On her way to fulfilling her dream of becoming an attorney and practicing international law to solve global issues of injustice.So as we were looking ahead to the future of this podcast, we're very excited to expand our conversations and include more perspectives, more voices, more stories from the legal community. And Delaney's role is very important in helping us to grow this vision.So she'll be contributing her skills in research and social media, public engagement to elevate our episodes and connect with more listeners.So together, we'll continue to explore not only how court reporters, attorneys, and judges collaborate and can collaborate more effectively and make the justice system work better for everyone, but we'll also talk a bit about global issues and the solutions that we can bring forth. Welcome, Delaney.Please start by telling our listeners a little bit about yourself and what led you to pursue a degree in law at Sarah Lawrence or pre law.

Yeah, of course. I actually decided to move across the country for college.So I grew up in California, and I was very blessed to be at a high school that gave me the opportunity to take a model United nations class, where I was initially intimidated because it was a lot of debating and a lot of hard topics that a lot of people don't talk about. Issues, global issues. And we had to research certain topics, certain worldwide crises.And I just became so passionate about how the world was and things that people don't pay attention to as much and creating initiatives, creating solutions to these problems and helping these people, trying to make the world better. We would have long conferences and so much research went into this. It was so much hard work.We had to prepare speeches, and this just really drove my passion to want to be a lawyer, which has furthered even in my college experience at Sarah Lawrence so far.I just finished up International Law, and it was so, so amazing to see all these different case studies about how international relations actually works and what goes on in the systems of the United States and other nations and how we talk to each other.And I think it's really important that these things are focused on and trying to be fixed to make the system better, make it more aligned, make it more equal. And this is such a great opportunity, especially with this internship, too, with court reporting.This podcast, the reporting of certain cases and keeping track of what's happening, I think is one of the most important parts of law.Because so much becomes forgotten or goes or it's so important that everything is tracked to make sure that we're really being able to hold on to these details. Because all this is so important. It's for society, it's for people's lives.And I think it's going to be so great to incorporate new ideas and add certain partnerships to, like, NGOs or pro bonos to help these people get more of a successful, you know, reporting system for these people that are in need or just talking more about how court reporting is so important to the legal system.

Thanks for sharing that. So inspiring. And going to the topic that you brought up about the model un, the model United Nations.For anyone who's not familiar with the term un, the United Nations. So Delaney took a class about the model un. Can you explain what it means? Like, why is it called model un? What does the word model mean?

So it's, you know, it's kind of just supposed to be like a reflection of the United Nations. So it's like model UN.

So it's like a mock trial? Yeah, kind of like we're mocking what the UN does.But obviously we're high school students, and we were each given, like, a country. We played a country. We had to research all about that country, what their country policy was. What did they believe about this issue?What were they doing about this issue? And then you had to create your own solutions to the problem based on that country's policy. What do they feel about this topic?How do they feel about different laws surrounding counterterrorism or the crisis in Mali? What are they doing about it? How would they feel supporting these developing nations?And then you create solutions, and you go to a conference and you have debates with people about what needs to be done, and then you compile a bunch of different moderated caucuses together, and you create a resolution paper with your solutions, and you try to get the other groups from the conference to adopt that resolution as it would be in the United Nations. So it's kind of just like a mock conference. It's such a great experience. I feel that no one really knows how that works.And just being a high school student, being a part of that, you open your eyes to these issues because you're forced to research it, but then also be part of something that really brings to surface what needs to be done.

I wonder if that's common. Like, I. I don't remember taking. Well, there was no class offered like that in my high school. And I wish there was, because, yeah, I've gotten older.I've been more intrigued by the United nations and by the Sustainable Development Goals and everything. So I'm passionate about that as well. Which is part of the reason why I felt you were a really good fit for this podcast.Because on some episodes in the past, I have talked about the Sustainable development goals number 16, specifically peace, justice and strong institutions, and how the justice system and court reporters play a role in. Or can play a role in fulfilling that one.

Of course, I think. Yes. So, like, we talked about STGs a lot, and so I'm trying to.

That's such a gracious way to say it. Like, model United Nations. Oh, yeah, Yeah. I think it's nicer than mock.

I was trying to think of, like, what I was gonna say, but I remember now, so where that happens.Like that course, there was some high schools that had it, but then there was also some people that we went against in conferences that they were their own independent, like, club or their own independent group. But for our school, it was, like, graded, the whole thing. You had to go there. And also at the end, you were given certain awards.So, like, how much influence did you have? Were you compassionate with the other people you were working with?Were you leading your group and it taught you how to be a leader and how to be a role model, how you can influence your solutions to other countries for them to adopt. And, like, how successful? What's your implementation like? It forces you to really figure out, how would this actually work in society?Like, could this work? Like, how would you implement it? How would they try to take away from my solution? Because my implementation is lacking.So you had to figure out ways your implementation could be successful, which is so important, because that's what is needed. You need to, like, fully think about ways that this can be implemented so it could be successful.And I think that's, like, important for things like this too. You know, trying to figure out new solutions for anything, just really making sure it's, like, solidified. And they really taught us how to do that.No other class teaches you to research in that kind of way. You have to, like, get lost in the research to find your way back and be creative and be a leader and have charisma it teaches you so much.

That's so great. I really love that. I think one thing I mentioned to you about the podcast or one of my goals with the podcast is possibly in the future -- and I'm sharing this out loud because like I said in -- I can't remember which episode number it was, but the episode that I did about "Are we on the Record?"I shared a Story about me sharing a goal out loud and posting it on Facebook and telling people this is my goal and this is what I'm going to do, I'm going to make it happen or I'm going to find a way to make it happen.Just like talking about it makes it come true somehow or makes it more likely to come true.So one goal that I have is to start a nonprofit, like an official nonprofit organization, and to help schools and the youth, the people who are going to be, you know, they're going to be successful in the future or helping make sure that they do achieve success and that they know the jobs that are out there for them. Including court reporting. Everybody knows about being an attorney. Like, that's definitely not something that's hidden.But court reporting people don't know the importance of that role in the justice system and how intricately it works together with attorneys, with judges, and how that little piece is missing in a lot of law school educations and a lot of high schools. Even they don't know that that exists as a career. That's like a well-paying career, especially for people who have musical backgrounds.So definitely my goal, I really want to start a nonprofit that can help raise awareness about this and about implementing things like the model UN or more mock trials and things like that, including court reporters and how to be in that role as well as the role of an attorney and a judge.

Yeah, that's. That was so wonderful. Wow.

Yeah, I felt like, yeah, you're such a good fit for this role because we can work together to hopefully make that happen. It would be really amazing.

I mean, I'm so passionate about like helping the people in social justice. And I think NGOs are so important for most of these solutions to become successful because just the partnership is what is key there.When I was in that course, I feel that most of my solutions were based around working with nonprofits and figuring out different ways to work together to help the people or educate the public or provide certain supplies to two communities. It's so important to work together and bring people to see what's going on. And non profits allow that so, yeah, great idea.

Yeah, absolutely. So, moving on to the next question about moving across the country from California.You mentioned that that was one of the most challenging and transformative experiences of your life. Can you share more about, like, what did that journey look like? What did it teach you?

Yeah, so moving across the country was a very big decision for me, especially since my whole family lives in California.And I knew that me going to school in New York meant that I was going to be in New York for a while, and I had to learn independence in a way that I've never seen growing up. I always had to feel a little bit more independent with my family because I kind of had to take care of myself.My brother and I, we weren't as close in the beginning, so I was kind of always just taking care of myself, which moving across the country enhanced that on so many different levels. And I feel that my maturity was really able to flourish in that I was able to flourish.Coming to New York, really figuring out how to work on my own, how to keep financially stable on my own.And I feel like it's truly just formed me into this person who's a lot more passionate about not just being independent with myself, but I want to, like, help other people, too, because I know what it's like for that, like, independent, like, alone feeling. But I also think that it just made me so much of a stronger person.I feel very grateful for the opportunity of being able to study at this college that I'm at. It is such an amazing college, and a lot of people don't have the privilege of getting education. I feel so blessed to have that privilege.And being able to study such an intense topic is a privilege.It's hard, but, you know, I think it's a privilege to be challenged in this way and to have such passion to want to be challenged, because people like that is what is going to make change. And I want to help do whatever I can for, like, the people, for our society, for the future.And I think just that takes taking risks, like when you're younger, learning how to do things on your own and being independent and figuring out your way, you know, figuring your journey out. So I really do think it was such a hard decision, but I think the best decision for me and it's led me here. So what.

What part of California are you from?

I'm from Southern California, so around, like, 45 minutes south of LA, I'd say is the best way to describe it. So it's definitely much different than here. It was right by the water. And it was very nice.I think I just needed a change to really feel in control of what I was doing.

Yeah. And is it. How is your family and everything with the fires and everything that's going on over there?

My family is great. We were a little bit away from the fires, so thankfully, my family wasn't in concern with the fires.But I do know that there was a lot of families and a lot of houses that were really affected by those fires. And it's really. It was so devastating for especially people in la. California gets so dry.I grew up having fires all the time, so we get pretty used to it, but it was pretty bad recently. But thankfully, we were not close to those fires.

Okay, good.

Yeah.

So going back to one thing that you mentioned about your eagerness to contribute to this podcast position by proposing innovative ideas, particularly regarding social justice and ways to better support those in need, such as educational platforms or fundraising campaigns that raise awareness about critical issues and empower individuals to take action. If you can elaborate on this, like, what is one aspect of, let's say, social betterment that you are passionate about?And that's also going back to what you said earlier about the model United nations, how you were very passionate about making change on global issues. So I just want to understand, like, what are you passionate about and what's one that you really care about that really stands out for you?

I'm passionate about helping people and some of my goals that we'll talk more about, you know, for this internship and just in general, like, how I am, you know, especially since this is very specific to court reporting.Talking about how court reporters can better support certain initiatives, like help make it more accessible for, like, transcripts for NGOs or legal clinics.

Love that idea.

Yeah, I have a lot of ideas that we'll talk more about, like partnering with pro bonos and just NGOs. I know there's a lot of people who don't have.

He has to take note.

The access for someone to be there to take note of what's happening, and they don't have a voice.I feel like court reporting in so many ways gives a second voice to people to keep track of what's happening and just educating, talking with, like, different lawyers and advocates for these people, highlighting different things that happen in different cases or, like, trends in court reporting, which we can, like, explore more through different educational systems.Talking with lawyers, talking with judges about what needs to be done, what could be done, and who we can talk to to partner with to help these people. Expanding on your idea with the ngo. I think that would be so influential.The idea of like educating people or educating people on court reporting, how they can be a court reporter themselves or how court reporting could help their case or help cases of people. And it's all for the people, too, and for ensuring that justice is served. So.

Yeah. Because one mistake can lead to injustice.

Yes.

That's why we often feel stressed out about our jobs. And it's a high pressure. High stress, of course, which makes it also very important for us to know how to manage our minds and our emotions.And they don't really. They don't teach us that in school. There's no school that teaches how to manage your brain and your emotions and.

Oh, right.

That's just not something they teach us.But it's one thing that I try to talk about on the podcast to help what I know as a certified life coach, how to do that, how to manage time, mind, self.

And that's talk about, too, because a lot of people don't know how to take a breath and understand that these are important issues. And what you're helping with is so important. Like you said, managing, like your mind, managing the stress.You have to always remember that everyone has that and what you're doing is such a good thing for the people. And you have to just always keep that in mind.And understanding court reporting is such an important part of the legal system that should never be lost, you know? Yep.

And I wrote down what you said about partnerships with NGOs and pro bono firms, because there is an attorney that has been on the podcast. Her name is Shalini Quattlebaum. She was Miss Nevada last year. I think I mentioned her too, but she is in California, in la.So she is right now working on pro bono cases to help people with the fires and with the damages. And she's so passionate about that. So I think we could definitely partner with her.

Yeah.

Their ngos. Or we just need to make one. Yeah. Yeah.

It's going to form into something so beautiful. And I'm so excited to explore these different ideas to truly strengthen.

Yes. So, Delaney, it's been such a pleasure to have you on this podcast.Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our audience before we wrap up?Even though we'll be doing this a lot more often, I shouldn't say it's been a pleasure to have you the podcast, because you will be continuing to be on it. Anything else you want to share for this particular topic?

Nothing besides that.I'm just excited how things will start to form and how things will progress, and all the ideas that we're going to come up with will be very exciting.

Yay. Well, thanks so much for joining on the Court Reporter podcast, Chris. Thanks for sharing your story with us today.I'm also super excited to see the incredible ideas and the energy you'll bring to the podcast and all our listeners.Stay tuned for more amazing episodes coming soon as we continue to explore the fascinating world of court reporting in the legal industry with fresh perspectives. Don't forget to follow us on social media and share your thoughts on today's episode. See you next time.