ABOUT

Kira Doppel is a first-generation American with dual citizenship in Serbia and Canada. She is a third-year journalism student at the University of Georgia, where she is on track to graduate in Spring 2027 with certificates in News Media Literacy and Sports Media.

Since November 2024, Kira has worked as a contributor for The Red & Black, serving on the Sports Desk for both the fall and spring semesters. She has reported on a wide range of sports and interviewed athletes at the collegiate and Olympic levels, including several from UGA. In February 2025, she covered the SEC Swim and Dive Championship in Athens, attending and reporting from the event every day — an experience that sharpened her skills in live coverage and in-depth sports storytelling.

Earlier in her UGA coursework, Kira was part of the Business and Consumer News beat in her Reporting I class. Her group won their class beat competition and advanced to the final round, gaining valuable insight into what it truly means to be a journalist.

In high school, she was the sports reporter for her school’s YouTube channel, where she interviewed athletes across many different sports—an experience that helped ignite her interest in sports journalism. Growing up in a sports-loving family and participating in sports herself, Kira saw firsthand how athletics can unite people from all walks of life.

Whether you're a lifelong fan or brand new to the game, sports have a unique power to connect, inspire, and uplift. Kira strives to tell stories that go beyond the scoreboard—stories about the fans, families, and communities behind the players. Through her writing, she hopes to create a little magic by capturing the heart of what makes sports so meaningful to so many