Kayla YoungKayla Young

Copy editor and reporter

Kayla Young is a copy editor and reporter for Cayman Compass.

She is an award-winning, bilingual journalist with experience in the US, Latin America and Cayman.

She was a Report for America corps member for WFAE News (NPR) and La Noticia in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she covered immigration issues in English and Spanish.

[email protected]

Articles by Kayla Young

Strong financial report casts doubt on pre-election forecast

Government’s overall surplus for the first quarter of 2025 has surpassed the original budget by $54.6 million, with both higher revenues and higher expenditures reported for this period compared to the same quarter of 2024.
Julie Hunter defeated her cousin McKeeva Bush in West Bay West by just 19 votes. - Photo: Simon Boxall

Julie Hunter topples McKeeva Bush in West Bay West

Election night’s largest upset has been dealt by West Bay West candidate Julie Hunter, a first-time contender representing the Cayman Islands National Party. Hunter has done what no other Cayman Islands candidate has been able to do and has defeated incumbent McKeeva Bush as an MP challenger by a margin of just 19 votes.

Manifesto watch: Education reform and TVET major party priorities

All three of Cayman’s political parties running in the general election have outlined education as a priority in their platforms.
Equal pay

Survey results: Women employees in Cayman ‘valued less than men’

A newly released survey by Gender Equality Cayman has found persistent gender disparities in the Cayman Islands workforce, as well as notable challenges for Caymanians compared to work-permit holders.

McKeeva Bush a no-show at West Bay West candidates’ forum

The 13th candidate forum, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, was a solo affair on Monday, with only Julie Hunter attending for West Bay West.
Beach erosion has meant that waves now crash directly onto the walls of Laguna del Mar on Seven Mile Beach

Year in Review: Southern Seven Mile Beach’s vanishing act

The warnings have been coming for years, that Grand Cayman’s crown jewel, Seven Mile Beach, is shrinking - a result of climate change, sand loss and a lack of strategic planning.
UCCI will receive visitors from across the region this week to explore the topic of artificial intelligence. - Photo: File

As artificial intelligence expands, UCCI tackles transformations ahead

This week, UCCI will become a hub of artificial intelligence discussion, welcoming around 200 people for a two-day conference.
The Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC)

As school year begins, CIFEC relocation yet to be confirmed

Months after asbestos was confirmed at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre, officials are working to secure alternative locations to teach students during the 2024/25 school year, which is already under way.
This rendering shows Dart's proposed Centre for Health and Wellness, being developed by Cayman Shores Development and Decco. - Photo: Dart

Dart proposes five-storey health facility for Camana Bay

The Dart group has submitted plans to build a five-storey health centre across the street from the recently completed Health City facility in Camana Bay.
Dozens protests Venezuela's President Maduro and election tampering in George Town. - Photo: Supplied

Venezuela election protest gathers dozens in George Town

Dozens gathered in Heroes Square on Saturday as part of worldwide protests against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuela flag - Photo: aboodi vesakaran, unsplash

Cayman’s Venezuelan community to join global protest

Cayman’s Venezuelan community will join a global demonstration in defence of Venezuelan democracy and fair elections on Saturday. 
A side view of the Herbert Parsons' House shows the two parts of the house, the original wattle-and-daub construction and the modern addition, which has since been removed. - Photo: Submitted

A Caymanian cottage gets a new lease on life, but what was the threat?

A historic West Bay cottage, constructed from traditional wattle and daub and endemic ironwood and mahogany, will move Sunday to a new home on...
The George Town landfill, also known as Mount Trashmore

Half a century of Mount Trashmore

What started as an informal dump site in the 1960s has now become a protagonist in day-to-day life in Cayman. The Compass compiled a short history of waste management in Grand Cayman to explain how the island got to this point.

Working mom juggles added work-life demands

For certified public accountant and mother Candice Czeremuszkin, the crisis has allowed her to spend more time at home, but that hasn’t meant fewer working hours.

Gender and the pandemic

Before the COVID-19 crisis hit Cayman’s economy, the islands’ workforce already faced a gendered leadership gap.

The battle against mosquitos: Breaking down the chemicals used by MRCU

The Mosquito Research and Control Unit uses a number of insecticides with chemicals known to be toxic to bees, aquatic life and, in some cases, humans.

Cost estimates for John Gray project continue to rise

The final phases of the new John Gray High School could cost more than $106 million, according to the Ministry of Education. The estimate, shared with the Legislative Assembly Thursday, is higher than the figures provided to the body just days before by Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly.

After 12 years, another redesign and more money to finish John Gray

Completing the new John Gray High School campus, a project more than 12 years in the making, could cost an additional $82.8 million, Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly has told the Legislative Assembly.

Myths vs. facts about coronavirus

There are many rumours circulating about coronavirus. Here we address a few of them.

A dream for affordable housing in Cayman

For families with no safety net, the search for affordable and safe housing in Cayman can seem like an unattainable goal. The nonprofit sector - in particular, Cayman’s Acts of Random Kindness - can offer one last option to find relief.

This week