BY SAM VISE
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — This fall, The Observer welcomed Kayleigh Freeman as its new intern. Freeman is a senior at Auburn University double majoring in economics and journalism. She is set to graduate in May 2026.
A native of Mobile, Freeman moved to the Auburn-Opelika area in fall 2022 for her freshman year of college. Her talent for reading and writing sparked her interest in journalism, though she was initially unsure of her specific area of focus within the field.
“I always loved to write and read growing up, and it was something that my teachers always told me I was good at,” Freeman said. “I was passionate about [journalism], so I went forward with it in my college education.”
Though she initially majored in environmental science, Freeman soon discovered it wasn’t the right path for her.
“I kind of went into [college] thinking I wouldn’t need a journalism degree,” she said. “I had the end goal of journalism, but I wanted to have expertise in something first. I took environmental science in high school, but whenever I got into college and started taking the classes, I realized I wasn’t as passionate about the topic as I needed to be, and so I directed my attention more towards finance and economics.”
After one semester, she shifted her major to both economics and journalism. She joined AU’s student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, where she wrote for the community news section and covered local events and new business features.
“The Plainsman was my first experience with writing articles, and it was a really good opportunity to learn and grow,” Freeman said.
She also interned as a student writer for the Harbert College of Business, where she was able to pursue more business features and economic-related articles, connecting both of her majors.
Freeman concentrates on economic journalism in her classes, focusing on a field that monitors, documents, assesses and explains economic and financial shifts within society. She said she aspires to be a business journalist after graduation but hopes her internship with The Observer helps to define her career path even further.
“I love getting to see so many different parts of the community,” Freeman said. “Journalism as a whole is a really good way to learn so many different things, and I feel like by the end of this, I’ll be very well versed on different parts of the community. I’ve just done a lot of things that I would have never gotten the opportunity to do otherwise, and I think that my knowledge will be expanded.”
As intern, Freeman reads and edits pages of the newspaper, helping to ensure everything is factually and grammatically correct. She said her favorite part, though, is going out into the community, meeting new people, conducting interviews and getting to share local stories.
“It’s been a different experience from the other type of journalism work I’ve done. I like that I’m actually in a newsroom,” Freeman said. “This has just been good seeing the print side of things. It’s been a great experience.”
She has written mostly informational stories up to this point, including features on services offered to the community. She said she recently enjoyed writing a feature on a children’s book author and has another one of those stories in the works.
Observer owner and publisher Michelle Key said she is always excited to work with the interns.
“Meeting and getting to know our interns each semester is always exciting,” she said. “We have had some great interns over the years. In just the short time Kayleigh has been with us, we have already seen a willingness to learn our procedures and methods. I believe that she will do well in her post-college career and we hope to help her be ready for that.”
To get in touch with Kayleigh about local events and news, contact her at kaf0072@auburn.edu.
