Elijah-Pharaoh Carter
“To me, ‘Be a Gov’ means to know that you're going to meet incredible challenges and roadblocks but to still work and push through them.”
Major: Cyber Security
Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
Involvement: APSU Orchestra, Chi Alpha
Affectionately known as “the Violin Guy,” Elijah-Pharaoh Carter spends his Friday afternoons entertaining passersby outside the Morgan University Center with his skillful playing of the violin, an instrument has studied for more than half of his life.
“I started playing the violin on campus out of sheer need to relax because it’s something I’ve loved doing all my life and its just part of who I am,” Carter said. “The first Friday I came out here, people kept asking if I’d be here the next week and I thought ‘why not,’ so I’ve just been playing out here ever since.”
But Carter is much more than a positive attitude and a skillful musician.
Despite his reputation on campus, the Memphis native came to Austin Peay to chase his dream of working with computers, and is currently pursuing a degree in computer science with a concentration in cyber security.
“I’ve always had a love of computers, and after I began to research the degree offerings at Austin Peay, it just made me sure that this was the place I needed to be,” Carter said. “I’ve always wanted to know how computers work and be one of the guys behind making them work, and the degree I’ll receive at Austin Peay will definitely help me in the future.”
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Carter spends each day working towards his own personal and academic goals in computer science, but the time he spends for a handful of hours each Friday, performing on campus for students and faculty is how “the Violin Guy” is using his talents to truly lead at Austin Peay.
“The phrase ‘Leading through excellence’, to me, means that everything I do and say should be an example of what students who look up to me should strive to be to represent the school and themselves as adults who are a step above the rest,” Carter said.
