Cowboy Way: Author Alton Carter reflects on background
Friday, September 19, 2025
Media Contact: Mack Burke | Associate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | editor@okstate.edu
Before Alton Carter ever set foot on Oklahoma State University’s campus, he had already lived in 17 foster homes, three institutions and a boys ranch. Not the typical background for an incoming student.
“I thought I was the only one who had been through this stuff,” Carter said. “I didn’t see any hope.”
But when a former OSU staff member named Martha McMillan quietly enrolled him in 12 credit hours and encouraged him to study in her office anytime, Carter found more than help; he found a way forward.
“That first semester, I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “But I sat in her office and did my schoolwork. It taught me that I could be successful.”
Carter graduated with a degree in university studies in 2009 and became the first in his family to finish high school and college. Today, he is a mentor and author of several books, including “The Boy Who Carried Bricks,” an award-winning memoir about his journey.
“My brand is inspire,” Carter said. “My job isn’t to save people, it’s to give them a seed of hope so they can save themselves.”
Now a father of five and a grandfather, Carter also works as training manager for Air Hygiene International and speaks to students nationwide. His message is consistent: “You can’t change the past. But you can use it to help people.”
He credits OSU with changing his perspective on himself.
“I used to think I was dumb,” Carter said. “Graduating from Oklahoma State gave me the confidence to believe I wasn’t.”
Photo by: Ellie Piper
Story by: Page Mindedahl | STATE Magazine