Indiana University Athletics
Nworah Wants to Make His Mark Locally, Globally
4/15/2021 7:00:00 AM | Football, Student-Athlete Services, Beyond Cream & Crimson
Mackenzie Nworah is all about making his presence felt.
He's doing it on the football field in a big way. The 6'4", 322-pound guard from Houston, Texas, has 15 career starts under his belt, including six a season ago when Coach Tom Allen's team went 6-1 in the Big Ten and was ranked as high as No. 7 nationally. He plans on doing it again at Memorial Stadium this fall, when he returns for an extra year of eligibility to help the Hoosiers take another step forward.
Nworah is excited about the chance to come back, and relishes the opportunity to continue to change the culture of Indiana Football. But Nworah isn't simply about making his presence felt on the football field.
"I've always been someone who wants to make an impact, not only at the school where I'm at, but in the community as well," Nworah said. "I want to do what I can to make my mark and help make my community better."
Among the ways he'd hoped to do that in Bloomington was with, of all things, his dog. The Hoosier offensive lineman had designs on having his husky akita mix trained as a therapy dog, plans that were temporarily stalled by the ongoing pandemic.
"I was planning on taking my dog to the day care near me and having him around kids to help brighten their day," Nworah said. "I'd still like to do it down the road, teach him to be a therapy dog for children and patients in hospitals."
While those plans are temporarily on hold, Mackenzie is still full speed ahead on positively impacting the people around him. That philosophy steered him with his educational endeavors, as he earned his degree in Exercise Science this past December. His original plan was to build on that degree by applying to physical therapy programs for this fall, but when the NCAA granted last year's seniors an extra year of eligibility, Nworah accepted the chance to return to the football field in 2021. In an effort to also add to his medical training, he is now working on a Master's degree in Health Care Management through IU's O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Kelley Business school, a 36-credit hour degree that he plans to finish in December of 2021 or spring of 2022. As part of that advanced degree, Mackenzie recently accepted a position with the Red Cross for his Masters program practicum.
Nworah is following in the footsteps of his parents, both of whom immigrated to the United States from Nigeria before he was born. Mackenzie's mother, Evelyn, is a registered nurse, and his father, Christian, who teamed up with Evelyn on a home healthcare agency in Houston. But as big of a motivating factor as his parents are in his interest in health services, Mackenzie points to someone else who is the impetus for his interest in being a positive influence on others.
That person is Mackenzie's 25-year-old brother, Obi. Obi has autism, a developmental disorder that is characterized by varying levels of difficulty with communication and social interaction as well as restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior. Motivated by both Obi's challenges and successes, the Nworah family created the CrisMachelle Foundation in Houston when Mackenzie was in high school to increase autism awareness in the Houston area.
"I have grown up learning how to help my brother and I have seen a lot of things that he has to go through," Mackenzie said. "He's developed so much, and our goal is to be able to help other families or individuals, to bring awareness about the importance of early intervention."
That early intervention has resulted tremendous successes for Obi. Mackenzie said his brother is now able to do many of his regular daily tasks on his own, including making his own meals, showering, getting dressed on taking out the trash. While those successes bring Mackenzie great joy, he also realizes that his brother will need continued support in the years to come, and he wants to always be able to provide it.
"My brother motivates me in everything that I want to do," Mackenzie said. "I want to always be there for my brother and make sure I can support him as we grow older."
Mackenzie's motivation to help others, though, doesn't stop with his brother. Far from it. He has visions of making a difference globally, and the foundation has already been poured – literally – to make that happen.
With some of the proceeds raised from the CrisMachelle Foundation, the Nworah family is building a school in Kugje, Nigeria, designed specifically for children with special needs. While the pandemic has slowed its progress, the school's foundation and ground floor are already built. Mackenzie's parents have traveled to Nigeria to oversee the construction, and Mackenzie has been kept up to speed by his parents on the progress. The hope is that within a couple of years, the school will be open and ready to welcome students and provide a much-needed source of support for families.
When that day comes, Mackenzie hopes to be a big part of what happens to the school moving forward.
"I want to take the project over when I'm done, which is why I'm doing a lot of the things I'm doing here now with my Master's," Mackenzie said. "My hope is that I can take what I'm doing now and eventually expand internationally and work with people to develop projects to help develop communities, especially in Africa."
There's no doubt those are big plans. But for someone with no shortage of ideas, commitment, and passion for positively impacting people's lives, they seem more than doable. That vision also shows that there's a whole lot more to Mackenzie than what football fans see on Saturday afternoons.
"I think it's important that people know you not just as a player, but as a person. One of the things Coach Allen tells us is that it's not what you get from playing the game, but what impact it has on you as a person," Mackenzie said. "Football has helped me a great deal with time management, and I've applied that to a lot of what I do away from football."
He's doing it on the football field in a big way. The 6'4", 322-pound guard from Houston, Texas, has 15 career starts under his belt, including six a season ago when Coach Tom Allen's team went 6-1 in the Big Ten and was ranked as high as No. 7 nationally. He plans on doing it again at Memorial Stadium this fall, when he returns for an extra year of eligibility to help the Hoosiers take another step forward.
Nworah is excited about the chance to come back, and relishes the opportunity to continue to change the culture of Indiana Football. But Nworah isn't simply about making his presence felt on the football field.
"I've always been someone who wants to make an impact, not only at the school where I'm at, but in the community as well," Nworah said. "I want to do what I can to make my mark and help make my community better."
Among the ways he'd hoped to do that in Bloomington was with, of all things, his dog. The Hoosier offensive lineman had designs on having his husky akita mix trained as a therapy dog, plans that were temporarily stalled by the ongoing pandemic.
"I was planning on taking my dog to the day care near me and having him around kids to help brighten their day," Nworah said. "I'd still like to do it down the road, teach him to be a therapy dog for children and patients in hospitals."
While those plans are temporarily on hold, Mackenzie is still full speed ahead on positively impacting the people around him. That philosophy steered him with his educational endeavors, as he earned his degree in Exercise Science this past December. His original plan was to build on that degree by applying to physical therapy programs for this fall, but when the NCAA granted last year's seniors an extra year of eligibility, Nworah accepted the chance to return to the football field in 2021. In an effort to also add to his medical training, he is now working on a Master's degree in Health Care Management through IU's O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Kelley Business school, a 36-credit hour degree that he plans to finish in December of 2021 or spring of 2022. As part of that advanced degree, Mackenzie recently accepted a position with the Red Cross for his Masters program practicum.
Nworah is following in the footsteps of his parents, both of whom immigrated to the United States from Nigeria before he was born. Mackenzie's mother, Evelyn, is a registered nurse, and his father, Christian, who teamed up with Evelyn on a home healthcare agency in Houston. But as big of a motivating factor as his parents are in his interest in health services, Mackenzie points to someone else who is the impetus for his interest in being a positive influence on others.
That person is Mackenzie's 25-year-old brother, Obi. Obi has autism, a developmental disorder that is characterized by varying levels of difficulty with communication and social interaction as well as restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior. Motivated by both Obi's challenges and successes, the Nworah family created the CrisMachelle Foundation in Houston when Mackenzie was in high school to increase autism awareness in the Houston area.
"I have grown up learning how to help my brother and I have seen a lot of things that he has to go through," Mackenzie said. "He's developed so much, and our goal is to be able to help other families or individuals, to bring awareness about the importance of early intervention."
That early intervention has resulted tremendous successes for Obi. Mackenzie said his brother is now able to do many of his regular daily tasks on his own, including making his own meals, showering, getting dressed on taking out the trash. While those successes bring Mackenzie great joy, he also realizes that his brother will need continued support in the years to come, and he wants to always be able to provide it.
"My brother motivates me in everything that I want to do," Mackenzie said. "I want to always be there for my brother and make sure I can support him as we grow older."
Mackenzie's motivation to help others, though, doesn't stop with his brother. Far from it. He has visions of making a difference globally, and the foundation has already been poured – literally – to make that happen.
With some of the proceeds raised from the CrisMachelle Foundation, the Nworah family is building a school in Kugje, Nigeria, designed specifically for children with special needs. While the pandemic has slowed its progress, the school's foundation and ground floor are already built. Mackenzie's parents have traveled to Nigeria to oversee the construction, and Mackenzie has been kept up to speed by his parents on the progress. The hope is that within a couple of years, the school will be open and ready to welcome students and provide a much-needed source of support for families.
When that day comes, Mackenzie hopes to be a big part of what happens to the school moving forward.
"I want to take the project over when I'm done, which is why I'm doing a lot of the things I'm doing here now with my Master's," Mackenzie said. "My hope is that I can take what I'm doing now and eventually expand internationally and work with people to develop projects to help develop communities, especially in Africa."
There's no doubt those are big plans. But for someone with no shortage of ideas, commitment, and passion for positively impacting people's lives, they seem more than doable. That vision also shows that there's a whole lot more to Mackenzie than what football fans see on Saturday afternoons.
"I think it's important that people know you not just as a player, but as a person. One of the things Coach Allen tells us is that it's not what you get from playing the game, but what impact it has on you as a person," Mackenzie said. "Football has helped me a great deal with time management, and I've applied that to a lot of what I do away from football."
Under the Hood - Week 14 (at Purdue)
Thursday, November 27
Darian DeVries Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, November 26
IUBB Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, November 26
FB: Riley Nowakowski Media Availability (11/25/25)
Wednesday, November 26