Impact Spotlight: Alexander Nunez
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Media Contact: Mack Burke | Associate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | editor@okstate.edu
The Cowboy family means more to Alexander Nunez. Because to him, community is everything.
Nunez, an Oklahoma State University freshman, grew up in the foster care system in Afton, Oklahoma, without ever knowing his biological family. When he was a high school sophomore, he left an abusive foster situation and became homeless.
Throughout it all, Nunez stayed motivated. He knew there was a better future out there for him.
“I truly believe it does not matter where you come from, but instead how you live
your life and treat others. Since being at OSU, I’ve met so many people from different
backgrounds who all live this. They care so much for my success and the success of
others. I want to do the same and be a light for others in this world.”
Nunez participated in nearly every extracurricular activity there was to offer. He was heavily involved in FFA, played multiple sports, took advanced courses, attended a career tech program, completed a veterinary internship and even served as the high school mascot.
But what really kept him going were the people who supported him along the way: friends who let him stay at their houses; teammates who welcomed him back after he took a summer off to work; his FFA group that was like family and gave him purpose.
“Thanks to my community, I’ve been able to get on a positive track where I’m set up for success,” Nunez said. “FFA, specifically, truly changed my life. Being in foster care can really suck, but it absolutely does get better. You just actively have to try to make it better and not give up.”
That community is a big reason Nunez came to Stillwater. Between his friends from FFA, the Freshman in Transition Living Learning Program, and student involvement — such as the Crops Judging Team — he’s found a great support system on campus. Upperclassmen friends and his church are also always there for him when he needs to get away.
“Coming to OSU, it is truly a family,” Nunez said. “Everywhere I go, I have a friend there. All my professors, FIT mentors, academic and honors advisors — I know there is always somebody who is going to be in my corner.”
Still, scholarships were the deciding factor in his decision to attend OSU rather than another Big 12 school. They gave him the best opportunity to pursue a career without any financial burden.
“Scholarships aren’t just free money — it’s somebody investing in my future,” Nunez said. “For the most part, the people giving out those scholarships don’t know me, but they still saw potential in me. I appreciate them for that with my whole heart. They’ve given me the opportunity to better myself.”
Nunez’s drive hasn’t diminished just because he made it to OSU. If anything, he’s working even harder.
He always wanted to be a doctor, with his passions for science and agriculture later leading him to consider a career in veterinary medicine. During a tour with his career tech program, he learned about the possibility of becoming a military veterinarian — an idea he fell in love with.
After graduating, Nunez plans to serve in the Air Force Veterinary Corps, then return to rural Oklahoma to open his own veterinary practice. He wants to give back to the kinds of communities he grew up in — the ones that helped him make it.
With his work ethic, he’s well on his way.
“A better future is one thing I’ve always really wanted,” Nunez said. “I truly want to succeed, not only so I am better, but so I can better the lives of others who are in similar situations to me.
“Really, my biggest accomplishment is how my cards have changed from the hand I was given. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
Photos by: Bryanna Freer
Story by: Grant Ramirez | STATE Magazine