Milga Morales Nadal (center) with Renee Straker (left) and Moraima Smith From the time Milga Morales Nadal ’70, ’74 M.S. stepped onto campus in the late 1960s as a transfer student to the time she retired as vice president of the Office of Student Affairs, one word has consistently been used to describe her: mentor. (Listen to an oral history of Nadal’s history of activism at Brooklyn College.) As a much-respected leader of Student Affairs, Nadal coached, guided, encouraged, counseled, and fought for countless students, some of whom eventually came to work for her. Two of those former students and current staff, Moraima Smith ’01, assistant dean for student life, and Renee Straker ’10, ’14 M.S., assistant director for student diversity, have maintained close ties to Nadal after she retired in 2016. Recently, the three met on campus to talk about their experiences as students, the evolving role of the college mentor over the years, and Nadal’s continuing close relationship with her alma mater.
