Peter Charles is a junior Billiken studying Accounting and Biology. A St. Louis native, Charles has made a concerted effort to engage the campus community through a variety of organizations. Charles will spend 2017 as president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, a fraternity on campus. Moreover, Charles is an active member of Delta Sigma Pi, one of SLU’s business fraternities. These organizations allow Charles to develop his leadership skills and hone his professional interests. Forming friendships through his involvement on campus as well as in the classroom are some of his fondest memories of being a student at SLU. Charles is unique in his pursuit of a double major in two largely unrelated disciplines.
“I came to SLU as a premed student, but eventually decided it wasn’t the path for me. However, I still had a deep love for biology. And once I took my first accounting class, I knew I was passionate about that subject as well, so I decided to continue studying both,” said Charles.
Going forward, Charles hopes to work in a capacity that allows him to integrate knowledge from both majors. He appears to be on track to do so, as he currently works as an accounting intern with Express Scripts, a multinational pharmaceutical company based out of St. Louis.
Cheering on the Billikens basketball team is one of Charles’ favorite parts of being a student at SLU. During the Bills’ recent game against UMASS, he was selected to participate as a halftime performer. He dressed up as Wendy from the Wendy’s fast food chain and was greeted by a thundering applause from the fans in the stands.
During the summer of 2016, Charles spent five weeks studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. “Spending time in Europe was an exciting, eye-opening experience,” Charles said. He enjoyed being pushed outside of his comfort zone in a foreign environment. Exploring the city and enjoying its culture allowed Charles to learn more about himself and people around the world. He also cites his time abroad as a catalyst for his interest in travelling. Since returning, Charles has developed an interest to visit other international regions, including Asia and Africa.
Q&A with Peter Charles
Q. Why did you choose SLU? I knew I wanted to go to a Catholic Jesuit University like my parents. All the universities are located in cities that provide an outside community filled with great concerts, night life and job opportunities. I had a variety of interests in high school and couldn’t decide what I wanted to major in, so I wanted a school with excellent degree programs in Science, Business and Engineering. Q. What is your favorite restaurant in St. Louis? Humphrey’s (RIP), Mission Taco and Gioia’s. Q. Any thoughts on the new Billiken? I grew up with the old logo and that’ll be the Billiken I know and love. The new one is growing on me, though.
