When I first joined The Sidekick, my goal was simple: I wanted to be a sports journalist. In the first class, I reached out to sports photography editor Kayla Nguyen, nervous as a first-year sophomore member, asking if I could shadow coverage of a game.
By the next week, I found myself courtside at a volleyball match with a camera in my hand.
That was the beginning of a lot more than just a photo assignment.
Over the next couple of months, Kayla became my right-hand girl. Whether I was clueless about manual settings for soccer or unsure which shots to get at a baseball game, she was always able to help with quick advice and quiet encouragement. Sometimes, it was a quick suggestion, and other times, it was a full-on conversation about editing my photos. Kayla made sports photography seem less intimidating at a high school level, boosting my confidence.
One memory explains us perfectly. It was the hundredth time I walked into D115 outside of my class period this time to finish my editor application. I opened up Adobe InDesign and stared at the screen like it was written in a foreign language. That is when Kayla walked in. Before even saying “Hi,” I turned to her and said, “Kayla, help! InDesign makes absolutely no sense.” All she did was laugh and start helping me without asking any questions.
That is who she is; calm, reliable, incredibly talented. Somehow always managing to balance everything with a smile. From managing deadlines and gallery edits to being prom queen, she has never once made it seem like she was too busy to help. And her photos? Always crisp, always iconic. You could scroll through our program’s sports galleries and instantly know which ones were hers.
Beyond the camera, what I will miss most is Kayla as a person. She has this quiet leadership that makes you want to do better, not because you are afraid to mess up, but because you want to live up to the standard she sets. Kayla does not lead with volume or titles — she leads by example.
Being a first-year staff member, I had no clue what I was doing; from a schedule change moving my Sidekick period to not knowing who to go to, I always felt like I could talk to Kayla for advice, support and a laugh.
Kayla, thank you for being one of the first people in Sidekick to believe in me. Thank you for your patience, your kindness and your ability to turn chaotic deadlines into calm moments. Your impact is not just in the galleries you leave behind. It is in the people you have guided, the staffers you have uplifted and the culture you helped build.
You have left your mark, and we are better off for it. We will miss you more than words (or even photos) can capture. Good luck at Mizzou.
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