BY SAM VISE
FOR THE LAFAYETTE SUN
CHAMBERS COUNTY — The LaFayette Sun welcomes new assistant editor, Kadie Vick, to the team. Vick graduated from Auburn University this past May with her Bachelor of Arts degree in professional and public writing with a minor in journalism.
Vick moved to the Auburn-Opelika area in 2021 from her hometown of Priceville, which is in Morgan County near Decatur. She began her college career as an architecture major but quickly realized that was not for her. She had always had a knack for writing and decided to change her major to professional and public writing.
Vick got her start in journalism after connecting with someone who had interned at The Observer newspaper in Opelika. She began freelancing for The Observer this past December and fell in love with it.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I actually really like this,’” Vick said. “I loved the people. One of my favorite parts of it is the people aspect. You know, talking to people, like doing community news, a lot of it is just people’s passions and people’s small businesses and people’s projects. It’s always cool to hear people talk about things they’re really excited about. It’s really interesting to hear people’s passions and just what they’re excited about and working hard on, and to kind of amplify that through the local paper.”
Vick not only made a connection with the people she was writing about, she made a connection with The Observer staff as well.
“Kadie is really good at helping find content and pitching ideas for articles,” said Key Media Owner and Publisher Michelle Key. “I believe she will be a great fit with our team, both in LaFayette and in Opelika. She has a lot of potential and I am looking forward to working with her in this new position.”
Key offered Vick the assistant editor position with The LaFayette Sun following her graduation. As an employee of Key Media, Vick will continue to write for The Observer but is grateful to work with the Chambers County community as well.
“I’ve absolutely loved getting to know the community,” Vick said. “The members of the community who have these events and have these stores are so passionate about their community and bringing goods, bringing local products, bringing events for kids, bringing education and all these things into the community. Growing up in a county that is more similar to Chambers County than Auburn-Opelika […] I grew up in a really small town and it has been so great to see how much Chambers County invests in their kids, their businesses and in their city planning and all that they do to try and make their city the best they can for the residents. That has been so great to see.”
“In her free time, Vick enjoys rock climbing and playing piano. She was a member of the AU Climbing Club during her four years at Auburn, where she served as vice president, and she taught piano at Spicer’s Music.
As assistant editor, Vick will assist Key with proofreading, editing articles and the layout of the newspaper. She will also stay up to date with events happening in Chambers County and organize content on local news. She said some of her favorite things to write about are farmers markets and family friendly events that are free for all to enjoy.
“I love my role as assistant editor, and honestly, if I kept working jobs similar to this for the rest of my life, I would be so happy,” Vick said. “So, I’m very lucky to have that position and still work with Auburn-Opelika. They’re all just such great communities, and I really enjoyed working with Michelle and Key Media. I’ve just had a great experience all around and if I had jobs like this for the rest of my life, either here or wherever I go, I would feel so lucky and so grateful.”
To get in touch with Kadie about local happenings and news, contact her at kdv0008@auburn.edu, info@thelafayettesun.com or (256) 341-8155.
