When Rayford “Ray” Leconte first went back to school with the Alray Scholars Program, he didn’t have a laptop. This is an issue when all your assignments are released online. But, it’s nearly impossible when your six classes are virtual. When his mentor, Filipe, expressed concern, Leconte explained his solution. He’d go to the library. Or, he’d do his classes at work when his boss wasn’t looking. “I had this all planned out,” Leconte said, looking back on his days as a newly minted Alray Scholar.
Alray Staff had a different idea. They asked how they could help and sent his school additional aid. Soon, he walked into the Massasoit Community College school store and bought their best laptop, one that stuck with him through completion of his associate’s degree, then bachelor’s degree at UMass Dartmouth, and now master’s level courses at Bridgewater State University. It was and still is “mind-blowing” for him to see “that kind of support.”
Leconte returned to college after a break that initially surprised him. “There’s this image of finishing college at a young age,” he said. “I didn’t think I would be someone outside of that image.” As a teenager, Leconte worked hard to prepare for that vision. He missed out on fun with friends and school sports games to work at Genzyme, a biotechnology company in Massachusetts, where he found a passion for the healthcare field. “I was actually featured in an article with the mayor of Boston, who was Marty Walsh,” he said, reminiscing about his early foray into the adult working world.
After graduating high school in 2014, the overachieving high school student felt prepared academically for college. Still, he ultimately faced struggles balancing his time. “College is a whole life,” he said about his decision to leave UMass Boston. The social side of school began to overwhelm time for studying.
After a few years off, Leconte went back to school with a renewed sense of purpose, this time with two kids and a host of other adult responsibilities. He realized a deeper drive, commitment, and maturity. “I had a more straight path, a more strict view of what to do, what not to do,” he said. He was more focused, even as the world shut down due to the pandemic and his family welcomed two more children and a mortgage.
In the Alray Scholars Program, Leconte found a support system he hadn’t had before. “It’s not just financial assistance, it’s the community that they are,” he explained about the Program. “It’s that level of interpersonal relations that they keep with you that makes you feel like… they’re family… so that’s what really helped me to be able to graduate.” When UMass Dartmouth wouldn’t accept 18 credits Leconte needed to graduate, his mentor helped him reach out to people and advocate for himself. “That was really what helped me finish my bachelor’s degree about a semester early,” Leconte said.
Now, Leconte is giving back to the Program that helped him achieve his degrees. He’s on the Alumni Council, which helps to bring scholars and graduates together to socialize, network, and share experiences. “If someone gave you a helping hand,” you want to pay it forward, Leconte explained about his motivation to contribute to the Alray Scholars Program. He advises current scholars to have a goal and take college at their own pace. “It’s not a speed race. It’s slow and steady.”
