United States Navy Mass Communications Specialist 2nd (MC2) Class Mykala Keckeisen was born and raised in the city of Madison, Wisconsin. She enlisted in the United States Navy and attended Recruit Training Command (RTC), Great Lakes, Illinois in December 2020. Following RTC, MC2 Keckeisen spent seven months at the Defense Information School in Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. MC2 Keckeisen graduated in the top five in her class and after completing “A” school, she arrived at her first duty station on the USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
In Bremerton, Washington, MC2 Keckeisen worked in the photo work center as the work center’s supervisor and as the departmental training petty officer. MC2 Keckeisen supported the strike group and ship’s public affairs mission through an arduous work-up cycle, a deployment to U.S, 7th Fleet, and through a shipyard maintenance availability. She also served aboard the USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) during the 2022-23 Seventh Fleet deployment, providing guidance on their Operational Task Visual Information (OPTASK VI) program and producing content for the sailors onboard and the strike group.
MC2 Keckeisen’s awards include two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and a Navy Good Conduct Medal. She also won Junior Sailor of the Year for Fiscal Year 2023.
Her proudest moment was when she was announced as the Junior Sailor of the Year, recognized by the command for her hard work and dedication to the mission.
Today, she is a student in the prestigious Military Visual Journalism program at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
