A woman with long hair, wearing a black t-shirt, light blue jeans, and white sneakers, is sitting on a stone ledge in an outdoor area with neatly trimmed bushes and grass.

Impact Spotlight: Alexandria Sparks

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Media Contact: Mack Burke | Associate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | editor@okstate.edu

Alex Sparks looked out into the backyard of her Tulsa home and watched her dad work.

Every day, Scott Sparks spent time in the summer heat tending to his plants, watering them and maybe even talking to them under his breath. He was a stonemason who found a passion for growing vegetables and herbs and shared it with his daughter.

Alex, a junior at Oklahoma State University, didn’t grow up on a farm or have acres of land. But thanks to her father, she found a love for horticulture anyway — in a shared backyard shaded by an oak tree.

“I watched my father pour love, care and appreciation into his plants,” Alex said. “He got good results because he put good energy into them. He really inspired me. He showed me it’s easy to grow your own things if you put in the effort.”

Scott died in February 2023 after a battle with neuroendocrine cancer, which made Alex reevaluate her life. She started a garden in her dad’s honor, building off a small fire pit made of cinder blocks and leftover rock from his previous jobs.

As the garden blossomed with all sorts of produce — from peppers and tomatoes to cucumbers and Swiss chard — she realized she needed to change course to find a place where she could pursue horticulture.

Two people standing close together in front of a brick building. The person on the left, a woman, has long dark hair and is wearing a black shirt. The person on the right, a man, has short light hair and is wearing a dark-colored top. — Alex and Scott Sparks

That search brought her to Stillwater.

“After I started the garden, I really liked the idea of growing my own stuff to use for food or products,” she said. “It inspired me to be passionate about growing things and to use them in a positive way and without wasting. It makes me feel connected to my dad.”

Since starting at OSU, Alex regularly commutes from her mom’s house in Tulsa for classes. She recently started making the trip by bus — OSU’s Big Orange Bus (BOB) service — to save money.

She has received multiple scholarships, which have been crucial in helping her overcome financial struggles while pursuing her education. They’ve made her path feasible.

“I knew I would need help paying for my education, and I’m incredibly thankful for the scholarships I’ve been awarded,” Alex said. “Commuting is expensive, and they’ve helped out a lot and given me the opportunity to achieve my dreams.”

Along with her major in horticulture, Alex is also minoring in food science. She aspires to start her own farm-to-table restaurant after graduation, one that prioritizes sustainable business practices and minimizes waste.

It will utilize produce she’s grown herself, limiting consumption of goods from large corporations.

“I hope my legacy upholds my values of prioritizing people and wellness over profit,” she said.

But Alex isn’t waiting until then to start her business ventures. She’s participated in numerous vending opportunities, selling house plants, pepper and tomato sprouts, teas and pine resin salve.

She has spent time learning about the medicinal qualities of plants and wants to share those with not only her friends and family, but also her community. As a teaching garden intern at Woodward Park last summer, she shared her knowledge with the public, answering questions and educating park visitors.

This service-oriented mindset is another thing she took from her dad, who frequently gave away baskets of homegrown produce. Friends had to be wary, though, in case he threw in an extraordinarily spicy pepper.

“I’m just really passionate about making things from nature,” Alex said. “Whenever I harvest from my garden, I want to give things away as well because that’s what my father would have done. He was trying his best to put out a positive markon the world, and I want to do the same.”

Photos By: Bryanna Freer and Provided

Story By: Grant Ramirez | STATE Magazine