Charles McArthur-Johnson: Profile Article

Charles McArthur-Johnson moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina almost two years ago. He is very creative and active, and he is determined to be successful because of his mother and little brother.

As a sophomore, majoring in public relations at North Carolina A&T State University, McArthur-Johnson has brought his life and everything he stands for almost 400 miles south to the state of North Carolina. He hails from Harrisburg, Pa., and that is where he grew up. After high school, McArthur-Johnson, an African-American male who aspired to further his education, enrolled at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pa. not too far from his home. He would not stay there long, however, because his mother moved from Pennsylvania to Fayetteville, N.C. This move also brought Charles to North Carolina and to NC A&T.

It was not a smooth transition, though. After moving to North Carolina, he applied and was accepted to NC A&T, but the university would not let him qualify for in-state tuition. A student is required to live in the state of the university for at least one calendar year before he/she can qualify for in-state tuition. The extra cost that came with out-of-state tuition was expensive, so McArthur-Johnson was forced to sit out from school for a year and find employment.

He did so at a Fayetteville Wal-Mart where he worked third shift. When asked about working third shift, Charles replied, “It was the longest year of my life. I never want to go through that again.” With that comment it is clear that he is ecstatic to be back in the realm of academia.

As a full-time Aggie, he has more than one focus. He is now studying public relations, he was previously a business marketing major, so he can further explore his creative side.

McArthur-Johnson is an artist and he can draw. He can draw very well, in fact. You can see a small sample of his artwork on his chest and left bicep as he sketched both of his tattoos. “Drawing is also the talent that I expect to be useful for creating advertisements, posters and even commercials,” he said.

To help out with the advertisements, posters and commercials, McArthur-Johnson is debating on minoring in graphic design. He thinks this would help greatly due to nearly everything being digital in the new, technological society.

McArthur-Johnson was obligated to move to North Carolina because of his mother, but that is not the only thing he feels he owes to the woman that gave him life. It is his hope to succeed in everything he does to make her proud and to set a great standard for his younger brother. “I really want to be a good example for my little brother and make my mom proud. She has always pushed me to reach my full potential, and I don’t want to let her down,” he said.

Growing up, McArthur-Johnson felt the pains of living paycheck-to-paycheck. He wants to live comfortably and not have those same life struggles that he endured while growing up. For that, he lives his life by a motto emblazoned in his mind by his high school track coach.

“Hard work brings about good results,” he said.