“I just always wanted to go to Harvard,” Gray-Cabey says. “I feel like there are a lot of people here who aren’t just pure academics, a lot of people who just have a lot of different interests.”
A fitness-lover, Gray-Cabey participated in First-Year Outdoor Program as a member of the class of 2015.
Inspired by gap year stories told by his fellow participants, Gray-Cabey decided to take a year off just a few days before the beginning of the term. Like most of his impulsive choices, the change in plans suited Gray-Cabey, who calls it “the best decision I ever made.”
During that time, he acted in an independent movie called “The Volunteer.” In the yet to be released film, Gray-Cabey plays the nephew of a woman who quits her job to volunteer at a soup kitchen.
When his gap year finished at the end of the summer, Gray-Cabey finally made the move to Cambridge.
THE RENAISSANCE CONTINUES
Despite his success as an artist and performer, Gray-Cabey rarely discusses his past accomplishments at Harvard.
“He said to us, if we hadn’t found out, he wouldn’t have told us,” said James R. M. Watkins ’16, one of his suitemates.
Although he goes to great lengths to avoid attention—he refuses to play the piano in front of his roommates—other students do sometimes recognize him from his days as a child star.
“It’s kind of hilarious,” Gray-Cabey says of people identifying him. “I think my roommates get a kick out of it more than I do.
”The curly haired child who once appeared on television screens across America now sports a pierced ear and a Mohawk, both of which were fashioned in the suite across from his own. Someone suggested transforming his appearance, and he immediately agreed to the makeover, his roommates said.
This impulsive nature carries over into his day-to-day life.
“He’ll hear something and take it as gospel truth,” Michael S. Loughlin ’16 said of his suitemate’s willingness to follow nutrition tips from his freshman seminar.
After learning of the health benefits of olive oil, Gray-Cabey proceeded to slather it over everything he ate, adding the new diet to his already intense exercise regimen.
This new health-conscious lifestyle is another instance of his continued pursuit to become the ultimate Renaissance man.
Just as his decisions at Harvard reflect his history of embracing new opportunities to better himself, Gray-Cabey’s open-mindedness shows no sign of disappearing anytime soon.
Although he has taken a break from pursuing acting or music on campus so far, he hopes to take the stage again at some point.
“I’ll to continue to run with [acting] while I can and keep with it as long as it’s enjoyable,” Gray-Cabey said. “If something else presents itself, I’ll take it.”