HATTIESBURG — Patrick Gray, formerly of Natchez, graduated with a doctoral degree from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Education and Psychology on May 10.

Gray began his career as a teacher in 2000, became a college instructor in 2005 and a school administrator in 2008. He is currently the principal of Oak Grove Middle School in Hattiesburg.

Gray is a 1995 graduate of Natchez High School and a 1999 graduate of USM’s undergraduate program. He earned a master’s degree from William Carey College in 2001 and a specialist degree from USM in 2008. He is a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the Mississippi Association of Educators, the National Council for Teachers of English and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

He is the son of Martha Gray and the late James Earl Gray.