Young Leader, Bright Future: McKenzie KO4GLN on Ham Radio and Beyond

McKenzie Denton KO4GLN is a name to remember in both ham radio and leadership. A pre-med junior at Old Dominion University, McKenzie has already achieved what most only aspire to in a lifetime. Licensed during the pandemic, she has risen quickly to earn her Extra Class license, rejuvenate her university’s amateur radio club, and take on roles like Virginia Section Youth Coordinator for the ARRL—all while excelling as a student and aspiring physician.

In this insightful conversation, McKenzie shares her unique journey into ham radio, sparked by a fascination with astronaut Owen Garriott’s historic space contacts. She describes how the hobby became a cornerstone of her development, offering her friendships, mentorship, and even opportunities to shadow in an emergency room—critical for her career path in medicine.

McKenzie’s leadership extends beyond ham radio. She draws connections between the hobby and broader fields, from emergency preparedness to STEM education, while advocating for integrating amateur radio into schools and modern technology. Her closing statement is a call to action: to align the hobby with emerging frontiers like quantum computing and space exploration, ensuring ham radio remains relevant and transformative for generations to come.

McKenzie’s passion and vision for the future are inspiring examples of how young leaders can shape the direction of ham radio and beyond. Let’s all follow her lead.

Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts below. Don’t forget to subscribe to W1DED Worldwide Ham Radio for more interviews with extraordinary voices in the hobby.

 

This was one of your best interviews yet !!

 

Thank you, Jeff.

 

WOW...What an interview....if there were more of her it would reshape amateur radio into this mainstream hobby where it should be and not this stodgy,grumpy ole om hobby...no offense to those stodgy grumpy ole men who are reading this annotation.

 

Glad to see her succeed!. Plus she is going to do medical!...You can do anything if you put your mind to it!.

 

Would it be alright for me to re post this video on my social media?

 

Go for it !

 

Merci pour ce témoignage
et, Félicitations à jeune femme pleine d’avenir.
Elle a une vie riche d'enseignements et que la Radio d'amateur lui sera un loisir agréable
Bonnes fêtes de Noël
Amitiés de France

 

Thanks for sharing McKenzie's story. What an amazing young ham -- and one-day physician. She's a wonderful ambassador of her generation, and a bright shining future star.

 

We've got more than a few over at W5AC and K5LBJ, if that helps.

 

This young woman is an inspiration to young and old alike. I'd make her the face of our hobby whenever we lobby the FCC or Congress for anything. There has got to be a role for her at ARRL HQ (above Section Youth Coordinator) that utilizes her obvious talents while allowing time for her educational pursuits. Her desire and proven ability to address, with actual solutions, the issues of bringing youth to the hobby as well as bringing inactive hams back into the fold is indeed rare. I recommend we publicize this interview to the membership of all our local clubs. Terrific job introducing us to McKenzie Kevin!

 

Best interviews

 

Thanks for this Kevin. It is good to see that there are still 'inquiring minds' out there.
I hope McKenzie can inspire others at her University to take up the challenge and make their club active again.

 

Great interview. Keep up the good work!

 

The Pride of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
I'm gonna see if I can get her to join our 13 Colonies K2B team. (wink)
Nice work, McKenzie.
David, k2WPM