Faculty: David Carraway

David Carraway cherishes a photograph in his office. Wearing a graduation gown, his 2021 tassel hanging from his purple cap, Carraway raises his hand in celebration.

“I was pointing to my family up in the stands, my wife, my daughter, my mother-in-law,” said Carraway, a teaching instructor in East Carolina University’s Department of Technology Systems. “I’m all grateful and you can see the passion. I swear that’s the best photo. You can just see the feeling.”

David Carraway points to family in the stands during his 2021 commencement at Minges Coliseum. Carraway keeps a copy of this photograph in his office. (Photo by Ken Buday)

That’s because Carraway’s journey to that degree was far from traditional, and he brings that background to his information and cybersecurity technology students every day.

“I was never a traditional student, and I’m probably never going to be a traditional educator,” said Carraway, a native of Greenville. “I try to bring a lot of love, respect and passion to the field of technology and to my students. My heart goes out to them. I really love them. I love to interact with people who have the same passion as I do for technology. I want to show them how to use it in a meaningful way to help them in their educational and career journeys.”

Carraway dropped out of middle school, despite his passion for technology. But just because he dropped out of public school, he never stopped learning.

“I was a kid who took apart my Teddy Ruxpin just to see how the motors work and figure out how to put it back together,” he said of the popular children’s animated talking bear. “I would ride my bicycle every day to Sheppard Memorial Library to learn all I could, whether it was hardware, scripting, networking — whatever I could find.”

He collected discarded computers and built his own computer from the spare parts at age 9. When he was 12, he created his first computer program. Despite a lack of formal education, he displayed skills in technology and cybersecurity that took him to places such as Hawaii and Las Vegas, where he worked for businesses both small and large.

At age 28, he returned to Greenville to help his mother, a decision he said was shaped by responsibility, humility and family. He took a job at Hastings Ford, working for Sherry Woolard. She invited him to a Thanksgiving dinner where he met Woolard’s daughter, Noelle Hastings, his future wife.

Years later, she became one of his greatest champions, encouraging him to return to school at age 32 to complete his formal education. Carraway first earned his GED diploma through Pitt Community College and then undergraduate and graduate degrees at ECU.

That academic journey unfolded not in isolation but at the family dining room table.

“My daughter (Victoria Hastings Alcock), she was 5 or 6 at the time, and I would study for my GED at the dining room table with her while she was doing her homework,” Carraway said. “She saw my work ethic to study, and we built a partnership around learning. We made a competition out of it, and now she’s a student here at ECU. We instilled in her how important education is.”

David Carraway greets a student in class. (Photo by Steven Mantilla)

As a student worker at ECU, Carraway helped Dr. Peng Li and teaching instructor Lee Toderick write and script new automated grading tools as part of upgrades to the lab environment for Red Hat courses. He also worked as Toderick’s teaching assistant and found a passion to help others learn technology.

“Just watching their facial expressions and their appreciation warmed my heart,” he said of his students. “It made me realize that I’m giving back to the field that has given me so much in my life. I’m helping educate the new technologists of our future, and hopefully one day they’ll think back on something that I taught them and they’ll pass it down to somebody else.”

He became an adjunct faculty member upon receiving his master’s degree in 2024 and is now a full-time instructor. He emphasizes accessibility, encouragement and persistence, especially for students who may be navigating nontraditional paths, from balancing family responsibilities to even questioning whether they belong in higher education at all.

“I want my students to know that education isn’t about where you start,” he said. “It’s about whether someone believes in you enough — and whether you believe in yourself enough to keep going.”

Last year, the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants named Carraway to its 2025 Certified Ethical Hacker Hall of Fame.

“Technology is not just about hacking. It’s about creating a world of endless possibilities,” Carraway said. “If you’re a programmer, you can literally create an entire beautiful world, and if people like it, they’ll join you. They’ll collaborate with you. It builds community. And that’s one thing that I really love about technology. It’s about the sharing of information.”

Outside of the classroom, Carraway enjoys spending time with his family. Still, he’s prone to experiment with lab setups and technology projects when he has time. He also goes to Pitt Community College to talk to new GED students, sharing his story.

“I hope that others see that setbacks do not define a person’s future,” Carraway said. “It is never too late to learn, grow or change direction, and I strive to help my students believe that about themselves.”