Taylah Gray is the first Indigenous student to undertake a PhD in law at the University of Newcastle.

The 26-year-old Wiradjuri woman recently passed the probation period of her PhD and successfully defended her thesis topic before the confirmation panel.

Ms Gray, now half-way through her second year of the PhD, spoke to National Indigenous Times about her journey.

"I came from Dubbo and moved to Newcastle for law school. I knew from a young age I wanted to be a lawyer," she said.

"I got to year 11 and 12 and failed every legal studies assignment and I thought 'maybe I'm not smart enough to do law'. I did a pathway into university and from that bridging course I got into law school.

"I ended up coming first in the class for Advanced Legal Writing and Research and that is when I wrote my honours thesis, 14,000 words on native title. When I topped that class I thought, 'maybe I am smart enough to be here'."

Ms Gray said a desire for social change inspired her to pursue the law.

"I always wanted to be a lawyer, being a young First Nations person and seeing all the injustice happening to my community," she said.

"In 2020 I organised a Black Lives Matter rally in Newcastle and the police commissioner took me to the Supreme Court and we won, against that prohibition.

"I am driven by social change for First Nations people, for my community."

She is keeping her options open for the future and is aiming high.

"I practiced as a criminal lawyer in 2020 for the ALS (Aboriginal Legal Service) but I also love writing," she said.

"I may go down the path of academia or go back to court and practicing, the options are open.

"Hopefully I am somewhere working on the Treaty process as well, both state and federal."