Student: Johnny McCarter III

Johnny McCarter III is filled with pride, and accompanying tears, when the 55-year-old discusses his academic journey.

He dropped out of high school when he was a teenager. He doesn’t easily remember his exact age when he stopped going to school. What is fresher in his memory is last May when he earned his bachelor’s degree in social work from East Carolina University, and envisioning when he will walk across the stage again as a Master of Social Work graduate at the end of the spring semester.

“It’s been a continuation to not give up,” McCarter III said. “Don’t give up. People close to me and loved ones have just kept pushing me. I was a high school dropout. But as we go through life and life presents itself, education is very powerful. It’s a great way to advocate for yourself.”

McCarter III stands at the School of Social Work mural in the Rivers Building.

He enrolled at Pitt Community College to earn his GED and associate’s degree, which led him to transfer to ECU in 2023. ECU has been a pillar for the McCarter family since the 1970s, including that Johnny McCarter II and McCarter III used to work at ECU as custodians. McCarter III was born at Pitt County Memorial Hospital — now ECU Health Medical Center — and has lived in Pitt County his entire life.

“East Carolina is everything to me,” he said. “My father said to me when I was a child, ‘ECU is a school where smart people come to get a degree.’ Look what I did. I am proud of myself, and I wish my father was here with me to enjoy the fruits of his labor. My father passed away in 1993.”

McCarter III’s mother, Gladys, attended the ECU spring 2025 graduation ceremony to celebrate her son.

ECU Master of Social Work director Dr. Kelley Reinsmith-Jones described McCarter III as one of the most influential students in the program. She said he naturally supports others, which positively impacts their learning.

Throughout his time as a non-traditional student, McCarter III has been mentored by family members and many of his instructors at PCC and ECU.

“One instructor told me to forget about your past and you were delayed, but not denied,” McCarter III said. “That is so powerful. When I reflect on those words, I often use that quote for motivation and to motivate others.”

McCarter III has been a barber for nearly 30 years. He works at Mo’s Barber Shop in Greenville, where talking to clients during cuts has helped push his desire to practice social work professionally.

“Many people have said that being a barber is like being a social worker,” he said. “For over 27 years, I have been practicing the profession. Client personalities and situations vary in many ways. From happy to sad, confrontational to jokesters, talkers to people who come to vent or look for answers about their situations. It can be financial, job security, family issues or just life.”

Whether on campus or in the community, McCarter III stays busy. He is a barber, a student and interns at Integrated Family Services in Greenville.

“Relationships and learning through individuals or communities and family practice, it’s a wonderful thing,” he said. “Social work is so powerful.”