Rutgers-Newark Is In the Family for Three Sibling Alums

When Talib Morgan’s little sisters saw him thriving at Rutgers-Newark nearly 30 years ago, they followed in his footsteps, joining the ranks of Scarlet Raiders. 

“When I was thinking about where to go to school, I saw that he seemed to have found satisfaction and his people,” said Nafeesa Morgan Bratcher, who graduated in 2001.“There was something I hadn’t seen in him during high school. It’s almost like he started to come alive. Then my sister decided to go there, too. I thought, why wouldn’t I just go there?’”

This year, Morgan, who graduated in 1996 with a degree in Applied Physics and received his masters degree from Rutgers Business School, became head of the university-wide Rutgers University Alumni Association (RUAA). He’ll be attending homecoming on October 25 with Bratcher and sister Zahrah Williams (Class of ‘98). Along with them will be Williams’ husband and classmate, Quahim Muhammad, who she met at Conklin Hall. 

Today, he’s a public school principal in Teaneck. But back then, he worked in the music industry while attending school. “He used to tell me he rode the elevator with Prince,’’ Williams recalled.

For Morgan and his family, homecoming provides a chance to return to their college roots, strengthen old bonds, and revisit a time of self-discovery.

 “Rutgers–Newark is where I’m from. I’m looking to get reconnected with the people who were a part of my story and people who share the history that I have on campus,’’ said Morgan. “This is a chance to create something alumni can come back to every year.”

All four family members credit RU-N with helping them find their path and navigate the world with confidence and a sense of purpose–qualities they share with fellow alums. 

“I feel like there’s a tenacity at Rutgers-Newark. People go hard. They work hard. No matter where they go, they’re out here trying to help people be better, trying to help in a positive way,’’ said Williams, an English major who earned a master's degree in Comparative Literature.

As head of the alumni association, Morgan is an expert at networking, but that wasn’t always the case.

“I was a complete nerd and my goal was to walk around campus with my head down and get to the next class and the next thing,” said Morgan, who lives in Scotch Plains. “During my MBA program, I began to feel connected.”

That connection deepened as he became part of RU-N’s close-knit community. “It’s a small campus where you could be seen and valued and where people cared about you,” he said. “You could find professors who cared about you and wanted the best for you.”

Over the years, Morgan returned to Rutgers for panel discussion and events like the Newark Black Film Festival. When the chance to volunteer with the alumni association arose, he said yes. “For me, it’s really about passion, pride and partnership, assuring that we create opportunities to connect with alum and that they can connect with us in ways that work for them.”

Morgan and his siblings, who remain close, often swap memories of their days at Rutgers-Newark, from lunch at Robert’s Pizzeria to time spent in the lab or working on projects that launched their careers. 

“We  talk about, ‘Oh that happened in front of Conklin,’ or ‘that was at the Robeson Center. This was in front of Smith.’ It comes up naturally,” said Williams.

She remembers her first visit to Rutgers-Newark. “I started talking to some people who were very warm and caring, just from my first meeting,’’  she said. “It ended up being one of the best choices of my life.’’

As an undergraduate, she found a job at the EOF, where her co-workers felt like family. “I have so many memories of wonderful experiences with that department and I feel like that is where most of my happiness was on campus,’’ she said.

Initially, Williams majored in Biology but her first A--in a French Literature in Translation class--turned out to be transformative. It was for a paper on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.  “I was enthralled. It fueled within me something I will always remember,’’ said Wiliams, who works as a literacy coach.

Bratcher majored in Applied Arts.  A nonprofit arts class taught by Professor Patricia Kettenring, founder of Glass Roots, connected her to NJPAC, where she began working part-time. “It changed my life,” she said. “The skills I developed in that class are things I still use today.”

She now works as a customer success leader in advertising but creates art on the side. Bratcher is still proud of her senior thesis, a multimedia project on Newark’s industrial age.  

“It took me out of my shell because I had to present my work. Visitors to the Robeson Gallery viewed my work and asked questions—it was nothing like I ever experienced. It was a very big deal in my time at Rutgers,’’ she said.

Like her siblings, Rutgers-Newark marked a turning point for Bratcher that helped her become who she is today. “It was just a good time in my life. It was almost like we belonged to a special club. I developed some fantastic friendships that I still have now,” she said.