Waukee CSD Alumna Paves Career Path to the Chiefs
A Waukee Community School District graduate is working hard behind the scenes to make sure Super Bowl LVIII is a touchdown for the Kansas City Chiefs, whether the team wins or not. Kayla Van Langen, who graduated from Waukee High School in 2019, is the marketing and analytics seasonal assistant for the Chiefs.
Journeying Through School
After high school, Kayla attended the University of Iowa, where she realized early on that she wanted her career to be in the world of sports. She got involved with the university’s athletics department and gained experience through multiple athletics-based internships. In 2023, Kayla graduated with a major in Finance and Business Analytics and a minor in Sport and Recreation Management.
During her last year at Iowa, Kayla applied to the Chiefs, received an interview, and was offered a job.
“I’ve always been a Chiefs fan!” Kayla says. “Growing up in Des Moines with no major league teams around, I just kind of chose the closest one.”
Working for the Kansas City Chiefs
Kayla’s responsibilities include helping with digital marketing, email marketing, paid social media ads, and ticket operations. She also crafts emails to promote events and ticket sales, in addition to sending monthly updates to season ticket members, Chiefs Kingdom Rewards Members, and Kingdom Kids Members.
On game day, Kayla can be found at the stadium doing ticket resolution, ensuring the whole process goes smoothly. She also gives season ticket members wristbands that allow them to go on the field and hold up the arrowhead flag during the pregame.
“I usually show up about five to six hours before kickoff to start working,” Kayla explains. “I take a few of our ticket scanners out to the tailgate suites, then head out to the game entertainment check-in tent.”
Kayla says one of her favorite memories from working with the Chiefs was seeing Taylor Swift twice at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Preparing for Super Bowl LVIII
With the Chiefs playing in this year’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas, Kayla and her team have been busy with preparations. They are working on emails, social media ads, merchandise sales, and letting season ticket members know about opportunities to get Super Bowl tickets.
Although Kayla is not attending the Super Bowl, she will be cheering on the Chiefs from the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City!
Preparing for the Future
Looking back, Kayla says her education at Waukee CSD helped prepare her for her career. Particularly, she credits the Foundations of Insurance and Actuarial Science course in Waukee CSD’s APEX program for introducing her to the business world and says it was a major factor in her decision to attend the College of Business at the University of Iowa.
“The Waukee APEX course was a great way to get professional experience outside of the classroom and gave me a leg up when entering college. Being able to build upon what I had already learned in high school was very valuable,” Kayla says.
She advises current Waukee CSD students not to worry if they don’t have their entire lives figured out. “It’s hard to know what you want to do for the rest of your life when you’re 17 or 18,” Kayla says. “It’s OK to change your mind or your career path, so don’t stress it!”
