You name it, and Mackenzie Mosera, this week’s campus celebrity, does it. This junior Biology and Deaf Education double major is an independent research student in Dr. Elliott’s bacterial genetics lab, an ASL conversation hour leader, tutor, member of KDP, the Education Honor Society, and involved in Team Red, White & Blue, a non-profit organization promoting physical and social activity for America’s veterans.
And as if that’s not impressive enough, last May, she traveled to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands for a TCNJ Biology course. She has also presented her work on developing an interactive science unit for elementary students focused on Deafness at multiple conferences, and is the president of one of the most prominent organizations at TCNJ- New Jersey Christian Fellowship (NJCF).
This superstar is surely one busy bee, but somehow manages to balance it all; through New Jersey Christian Fellowship’s leadership training and coaching, she has learned how to do just that.
NJCF is a chapter of the national organization known as InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, which has branched out to about 600 campuses nationwide. In 1951, a student named Ruth Harris, who still continues to keep in contact with the organization to date, started the NJCF chapter at TCNJ.
Mackenzie first got involved with NJCF during Welcome Week her freshman year when a friend encouraged her to attend a meeting. “I loved the NJCF community, at how open and welcoming everyone was, how I could explore and grow my faith in larger group meetings, and how I could partake in LifeGroups and study the bible in community with other members at TCNJ,” explained Mackenzie. Her love for this organization has continued to grow over the years, and her leadership has steadily risen.
“New Jersey Christian Fellowship is a movement of students who care deeply for TCNJ, our people, our culture, and our potential as a community. As a chapter of the national organization InterVarsity, we want to see students and faculty transformed, TCNJ’s campus renewed, and world changers developed,” said Mackenzie.
NJCF believes in molding and creating leaders on campus. The organization provides leadership training to members, and “cultivates a culture resembling that of a family within the organization where they can learn more about God and themselves.” The members of NJCF at TCNJ are those that show kindness and love to everyone on campus, and they wish to see our campus as the best place that it can be.
That being said, NJCF members can be seen on campus holding events like The Price is Tight, Floor Feud, as well as events focused on social justice like IMPACT and CharityWater. Last semester, Mackenzie helped lead an outdoor coffee house experience called “Something Beautiful,” and this semester is helping NJCF partner with PBF, GUM, Voice of Hope and Student Government to bring Jefferson Bethke, a New York Times Best Selling Author to TCNJ on March 19.
Three years ago, NJCF started a ministry to the Eickhoff workers where students go after hours on Wednesday nights to help the staff clean up the dining hall. This regular event has spread like wildfire, and other organizations such as Circle K and Alpha Phi Omega have joined in helping give back to those who selflessly serve us.
Mackenzie enforces that overall, NJCF is “an active student movement who believes that the love of God can change us and our campus, among other things, and therefore we are committed to knowing, experiencing and encountering God.”
This organization has not only helped her reach out and become involved in our campus community, but it has also helped her better herself in terms of her leadership and time management skills. Although she is still trying to master juggling clubs, academics, and her social life, through experience and hard work, she is just getting that much closer to finding the perfect balance.
This week’s campus celebrity continues to make New Jersey Christian Fellowship’s presence on campus a big one, and is a member of our community that all of us can look up to.
To learn more about New Jersey Christian Fellowship, or to become a part of it, friend New Jersey Christian Fellowship on Facebook, or email them at njcf@tcnj.edu. Mackenzie also encourages you to reach out to her at moseram1@tcnj.edu, or feel free to stop her on campus!