Two young Socorroans are newly licensed ham radio operators, thanks to an afterschool program at Cottonwood Valley Charter School and their own hard work.

Fifth-grader Matthew Price, 10, thought why not give becoming an operator a try since his whole family on his dad’s side are licensed. "It also, it has a lot of electrical components and stuff, so if you choose to be an electrician, you get a little background knowledge on fuse schematics, a little bit of electrical knowledge," said Price.

"I always thought walkie-talkies were pretty cool, so I was a little excited to learn that this is like a long-range walkie-talkie," said Cadol.

The pair practiced answering questions every Tuesday after school with ham radio enthusiast Jon Spargo to prepare for their amateur operator license test. This is the thirteenth year for the ham radio group, which is open to sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Fifth graders are welcome if they can handle some simple algebra. "It's a hobby, but unlike a lot of other hobbies, it's a hobby with community service in mind," said Spargo.