About Kayla Renie
Drawn to connecting and educating through documenting everyday moments, my goal is to use photojournalism as a means to not only visually inform people of the issues that impact their communities, but ultimately to help them better understand what’s going on and each other.
Born and raised in the South, I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism with a photojournalism concentration from the University of Georgia in May 2018. After graduating, I went on to pursue multiple internships with local newspapers across the U.S. — from Texas to Michigan, to Indiana and Wyoming, I covered the daily grind of news, high school sports and features, as well as more in-depth stories featuring environmental and health care issues and family and gender dynamics.
In 2021, I joined Report for America and returned to my home state of Georgia, where I focused on issues of equality, equity, diversity and inclusivity that minority and marginalized communities faced. A year later, I temporarily shifted gears from local news to working as a sports photographer for the University of Georgia Athletic Association, covering all 15 Georgia Bulldog sports, before returning to journalism as the newsroom adviser for The Red & Black, the independent, nonprofit student-run newspaper that covers the Athens and UGA communities — where I got my first introduction to journalism working as the photo editor during my undergrad.
When I don’t have my eye to the viewfinder, I like to spend my time in nature and exploring new places. I also love tending to my dozens of house plants and relaxing at home with a good book and my cat, Chickadee.