For Wareham High School alumna Natara Gray, the path to Harvard University was anything but conventional.

Gray told her story to a packed auditorium of Wareham High School juniors and seniors on Thursday, many of whom will soon begin their own college application process.

“My journey was anything but traditional,” she said. “But given a second chance, I’d do it all over again.”

Gray was the third generation of her family to attend Wareham Public schools. She was a member of the school’s Distributive Education Clubs of America program, a vocationally-oriented sales and marketing club for high school students who take several classes in marketing, promotion, sales and financial literacy. It was here that Gray got a taste for leadership, organizing student events and even running the school store.

She was also an avid singer and a member of the school’s track team. 

“My drama teacher Don Bliss always said I’d be a star,” Gray recalled. “I just never thought it would look like this.”

Now the assistant director for the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Gray graduated from Wareham High School in 2001.

She would go on to enrolled at Bridgewater State University as a communications major, working three jobs before dropping out to assist a family member living in Florida.

The decision was the first of many setbacks, delaying her education by two years.

After that it took Gray five applications to get back into Bridgewater upon her return to Massachusetts. A student once more, she juggled her responsibilities as a mother with working full-time for the college. It was the only reasonable way to finance her degree, she said.

Gray would eventually graduate from Bridgewater in 2014, nearly 13 years after her journey began. It was then she was offered the assistant director position at Harvard. 

“I’d never pictured myself at Harvard,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe it. I didn’t have the means and I wasn’t blessed with a silver spoon. It seemed like there were so many people who were more qualified, but for some reason they wanted me.”

Gray referenced her struggles with imposter syndrome at this point, saying that she felt like she wasn’t the right person for the job and that her accomplishments weren’t worthy enough. 

“I didn’t say yes right away because I felt I didn’t deserve it, and I think a lot of us feel that way when we’re confronted with opportunity,” she said. “We feel like we’re defined by our background, but our background isn’t us.”

Gray went on to accept the position where she still works to this day, organizing student events and traveling the country to learn about different cultures and traditions. It’s a hard job, she added, but one she wouldn’t trade for the world.

“I didn’t go to Harvard because it was Harvard,” Gray said. “I went to give back to people who come from backgrounds like me and don’t think they deserve a chance.”

Gray noted that her background at Wareham High School helped to prepare her for adult life, teaching her valuable skills in leadership with teachers who provided their unconditional support.

Gray ended her speech by reminding students to enjoy their remaining time in school and to value purpose over being perfect.

“Success doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone,” she said. “If you feel fulfilled in what you’re doing, than that alone is enough.”