Malicka Encarnacion is a senior at Eastern University, but she won’t be leaving us without leaving a lasting impact on the Eastern community. Raised in the Bronx, Encarnacion came to Eastern with a traumatic past, ready to start a new chapter of her life.
Encarnacion is studying biochemistry with a concentration in pre-med, and a minor in youth ministry. She is the chair of the student chaplain program, and the president of Precious Movements.
Encarnacion stumbled across Eastern while googling Christian colleges, and fell in love with the campus. She knew she wanted to leave the Bronx for college, and she scheduled a visit at Eastern. During her Columbus Day visit, she found a spot alongside the pond, and knew she wanted to make it hers. She attended Explore Eastern her senior year, and while feeling homesick, she ended up finding a community of people worshipping that soothed her nerves.
While visiting Explore Eastern, she watched the dance performances, and felt drawn towards Precious Movements. She knew she wanted to be a part of the group, and it was the first club she joined her freshman year. She danced in her church her entire life, and made sure to continue her passion for dancing through college.
For Encarnacion, Precious Movements is “a place where brothers and sisters in Christ can come together, lay down burdens, and become free together.” She holds a close connection with her group, and through her years at Eastern has worked her way up to President of Precious Movements. She finds it easy to express herself through dance, and she enjoys being able to share a part of herself through dancing. She considers everyone involved as a part of her family in the community that she has loved for the past four years.
Encarnacion was inspired by her chaplains, Mariella DiStefano and Alicia Michaels, in her freshman year dorm to become a chaplain herself. Her chaplains inspired her and made her feel welcomed in the Eastern community, and she wanted to be able to do the same for others. Her goal as a chaplain is to make sure that people’s needs are met physically, spiritually, and mentally, to be a family to the community around her. She loves being able to inspire others around her, and feels like it’s her personal mission to share the love of Christ, and to love those around her. Her favorite part of being a chaplain is watching the girls in her hall become chaplains, even if it’s only one, and knowing that she is able to inspire others.
When she’s not spending her time working on school, doing work for the chaplain program, or practicing with Precious Movements, Encarnacion can be found spending time with her girlfriend, Faith, or watching some of her favorite shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy or This is Us, and any other show that brings out emotions. She enjoys watching shows that make her cry, and give her a chance to think and reflect on the content.
After Eastern, Encarnacion wants to become a doctor, specifically a pediatrician. She plans on opening up a youth center and providing healthcare to people that may not have easy access to proper medical care. She hopes to be able to work part time in the hospital, and full time helping people in the youth center.
If you would like to hear more of Malicka’s story, she will be speaking in Chapel on March 24th as a part of the Chapel series “Living into God’s story.”