Humans of Oshkosh

“In 1969 I got drafted into the Army. I didn’t want to. The Vietnam War was on, and when you got drafted, you were in for two years. I was born and raised in North Dakota. My dad was a farmer and raised cattle. Before I went into the service, I went to trade school. Then after that I ended up in the Army and spent six months at Fort Carson in Colorado before going to Vietnam for a year. I was an artillery mechanic, so I worked on all the big guns. I was lucky because I stayed mostly on the artillery bases. I’d carry ammo to the guns and help keep everything running. They’d get calls during the night for 100-round missions and things like that. It was definitely an experience. You learn a lot about people."

“I always sold vintage on the side when I was in high school, and it just kind of became my full-time thing, to be honest with you. When I went to college at UWO, I knew I wanted to do something business related, but I didn’t really know exactly what. Vintage clothing was growing a lot at the time, so I was like, ‘Oh, I should just open up my own vintage clothing store.’ I did a couple pop-ups in Oshkosh first just to test the waters. We did Fox Valley Vintage Fest at the convention center downtown and a few pop-ups at Fifth Ward Brewing Company. They were really successful, so I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s just go brick and mortar and see how that goes.’ And so far it’s been absolutely amazing. It’s really hard to pick the coolest piece that’s come through here. Oh, actually, I know exactly what it is. It’s that 1969 Wisconsin State University Oshkosh crewneck hanging on the wall. That’s before the schools merged into UW Oshkosh in 1971, so it’s a super cool piece of history. It’s also a Champion reverse weave long sleeve, which makes it even crazier. The actual value of that sweatshirt is probably around $1,500, but if I were to sell it, I’d need 10 bands. Ten thousand dollars. That’s the only way it’s ever coming off my wall, and honestly, even then I’d probably still say no. To me, it’s not really about the money. People would probably look at me and say, ‘Victor, you’re an idiot for not taking that,’ and maybe they’d be right. But I know I’ll never find that sweatshirt again. It’s a one-of-one piece. And the craziest part is it came from the original owner. He actually went to UW Oshkosh from 1968 to 1972, so he was there during the merger. That’s another reason I don’t really want to get rid of it. It’s just history.”

“I chose social work and therapy because when I was growing up, I didn’t have a lot of support. I feel like I didn’t have the voice I really needed to heal from some things. I’m glad I can be in a field where I can give people a voice and help them through their stuff. I just graduated with my Bachelor of Science degree, and I’m trying to go get my master’s in social work. I mainly want to focus on the social aspects — teaching kids daily living skills and how to interact with different social groups in their lives. Academically, I want to help with things they may be struggling with in school and give them services related to learning disabilities. I want to work with a specific demographic — neurodivergent children and children with rough home environments. Eventually, with my graduate degree, I want to become a therapist and create my own private practice, basically making affordable counseling for neurodivergent families and families from rough home environments so that they may get that voice or get that chance to have growth like everyone else.”

“I took over Frugal Fashions in September of 2019 when my daughter started kindergarten. My mom owned the business before I did, but she had some health issues and couldn’t do it anymore. I was a stay-at-home mom at the time, and my daughter was starting school full time, so I kind of needed something to do. I was scared. I had never ever been a business owner in my life, so I was very scared. But I had gotten a lot of experience before I took the store over because I would always come in and help my mom out on the weekends. I had exposure to the different customers and how everything worked before I officially took it over. Frugal Fashions has been in Oshkosh since July of ’99, so we’re going on 27 years this year. I’ve always wanted to be downtown Oshkosh because of the farmer’s market in the summers and all the events that go on. We like the ambiance of the old building with the tin roof, and we try to keep it a little more boutique-style so it’s not overwhelming for people. We want it to be fun and easy to shop. I like being my own boss. I love Frugal. I love the people that come in.”

(Note from Humans of Oshkosh: We met this awesome human at one of the many cool stores in downtown Oshkosh. In the comments below, tell us about your favorite places to find great deals. We love to support local businesses.)

“We spent a lot of time building something that we hoped would matter to people, and I think we left it in a really good place. Obviously winning the national title stands out. But honestly, some of the moments that mean just as much are happening now. Over the last few years, we’ve had former players getting married, and you’ll look around and there are 25 teammates and coaches all together again. I’ve got five weddings this summer alone. Those moments are powerful because they remind you this became bigger than basketball. That’s what I’ll miss most about Oshkosh. The players. The coaches. The campus community. The families chasing little kids around the gym after games. The people are what made this place for me the last 14 years."

"You are always running around on the sidelines. You never stop moving. Do you have any ideas how many steps you take every game? How many shoes you wear out each season?"

"I usually only went through one or two pairs of shoes a year on the sidelines. I learned to buy rubber soles because they lasted longer. I never counted how many steps I took pacing during games, but I’m somehow still basically the same weight I was as a player, so I must’ve burned a few calories along the way.” (2 of2)

(Note from Grace Lim, founder of Humans of Oshkosh and huge UWOMBB fan: Across 14 total seasons with Titan men’s basketball as both an assistant and head coach, Coach Lewis helped guide UW-Oshkosh to a national runner-up finish in 2018, a national championship in 2019 and 16 NCAA tournament wins, the second-most in the country during that span. But beyond the championships and banners, many Titan fans will likely remember the culture Coach Lewis built around the program — one centered on relationships, accountability and the idea of “One Fist,” meaning all in, together. Thank you, Coach Lewis! Photo from UW-Oshkosh Athletics) )

“Fourteen years is a long time. I got here as a 25-year-old and I’m leaving as a 39-year-old. Kind of crazy when you think about it. When I first came to Oshkosh, I was a part-time assistant basketball coach. I worked at it full time, but it wasn’t really a full-time job yet. (Former UWO head men's baseketball coach) Pat Juckem took a chance on me. I was an assistant coach for six years before becoming head coach in 2018. People probably think coaching is all about wins and losses, but one of the biggest lessons I learned from the sidelines was patience. Coaching comes with extreme highs and lows, and you learn pretty quickly that you can’t let one outcome define everything. You have to ride it out long term. I also learned to try to place your joy in something other than the outcome. Whether things go your way or they don’t, you still have to find a way to enjoy it. When I became head coach, the goal that first season was simple: win a national championship. We had just finished as national runner-up the year before, and almost everybody was coming back. Everybody in the program knew what the goal was. Cutting down the nets after winning the national title in 2019 is obviously a memory I’ll never forget. But what I’m probably proudest of is that we built something sustainable. We didn’t want to get there for two years and then disappear. A few years later we won the league again, then won it again the following year and made an Elite Eight run. I think the program is in a really good place moving forward.” (1 of 2)

(Note from Grace Lim, founder of Humans of Oshkosh: Coach Matt Lewis recently resigned after 14 seasons with Titan men’s basketball — including eight as head coach — to support his wife, Gaelyn, as she pursues a new opportunity at Illinois Wesleyan University. He had said she had turned down opportunities so the family could stay in Oshkosh. On a personal note, I’ve spent countless nights at Kolf Sports Center watching Titan men’s basketball under Coach Lewis. I’ve cheered myself hoarse on the sidelines. I’ve suffered cheering injuries from punching the air too hard after big plays. Coach Lewis is never still. He runs up and down the sidelines. He waves his arms. He rallies the crowd. I got exhausted just watching him coach sometimes. But what always stood out to me most was his belief in his team, especially when the Titans were battling back from behind. He had a way of making the crowd believe too, and Kolf could become absolutely electric in those moments. Oshkosh was lucky to experience that for 14 years. Thank you, Coach Lewis! Photo from UW-Oshkosh Athletics.)

“I’ve had three motorcycle accidents in the last four years, so no more two wheels for me. I’ve been riding since I was a little kid. My dad always had Harleys when we were growing up, so I always wanted one of my own. I got one and unfortunately crashed every single one of them. My doctor finally told me I couldn’t ride anymore because I could really injure myself. I broke four ribs, broke my arm and now I have permanent damage in my knee. I’ve been dealing with it for about a year now and I’m still going through it. My dad and I aren’t close anymore like we were when I was little, which is hard because motorcycles were kind of our thing. My grandpa also had a motorcycle shop before he passed away this past year, so motorcycles were always a big part of my life. What keeps me motivated now is definitely my kids. My son is going to be 19 this year and my youngest is 5. Honestly, my son saved me. I was 19 when I had him and I was not going down a good path back then. But when I got pregnant with him, it was like something completely changed in my brain. I grew up really fast. My kids completely made me a different person. I take care of everybody else before myself most of the time. My brother is a recovering addict and has been clean for two years now, which has been really inspiring to watch. Seeing him get a full-time job, take care of his kids and turn things around has meant a lot to me. Now I mostly just fish. I’m kind of a couch potato these day. But my bucket list dream is to go deep sea fishing in Florida someday. I’m actually terrified of water because my brother held me underwater as a kid and I never got over it. But I still want to do it anyway.”

“I honestly just started watching TikToks about cologne and got really interested. I bought a couple colognes and it turned into a huge rabbit hole of wanting more and more. Eventually I started my own business selling smaller portions of these colognes so people could smell rare stuff without paying full price. It also helped me make my money back so I could keep buying new stuff for myself. When I first started the business, I was in college at UWO, working three nights a week and paying mostly out of pocket for school. So I was trying to balance classes, homework, studying, work, posting consistently on TikTok and running the business all at once. TikTok is what really helped grow my business, but I got banned multiple times for absolutely no reason. That was honestly the biggest challenge. I wanted to quit because every time I got banned, I had to rebuild my following and rebuild trust with customers all over again. But my friends and my girlfriend kept pushing me to keep going. Now my account is thriving past what it ever was before and my business is absolutely thumping. I’ve been able to leave my other job and do this full time right now. I started about six months ago and I’m at almost 20,000 followers. The first 10,000 was way harder than the last 8,000. My goal now is 50K by the end of the year and hopefully one day work with brands like Hugo Boss and YSL.”

(Note from Humans of Oshkosh: We love young entrepreneurs and don't mind give their website a shout-out. Scentswithchris.com)

“I’ve lived in Oshkosh all my life. Born and raised. Mostly out in the countryside, actually. I didn’t really get around the city much until I was about 23. I grew up helping on my family’s farm. We had some crops and chickens, nothing huge, but I learned a lifetime’s worth of hard work out there. I was the youngest of eight kids, and our farmhouse was already smaller than most of the ones around us. We didn’t have a lot of space, so everybody had chores and everybody had to work together. I think growing up that way taught me a lot about teamwork. The farm definitely gave me a work ethic. Even now, being retired, I still look back fondly on my time working at the factory. I liked honest work. Keeping my hands busy. Keeping my legs moving. Some days were strenuous, sure, but I liked being productive and helping provide for my family. I miss the people, too. When I retired, it honestly felt like I lost a lot of those relationships overnight. That was probably the hardest adjustment. But over time, I’ve rebuilt a lot of that closeness with my family, my home and, of course, my dogs. They keep me moving. Between them and the yard work, I still find ways to stay active.”

“My favorite memory with him was probably our first date. He picked me up at my dorm room and we talked for like four or five hours until 1 or 2 in the morning. He was slightly flirty, but not like boys are. More like a man would be. And he had to work the next day at 6 in the morning and lived an hour away from me. The next morning my roommate told me I had this huge smile on my face and seemed really happy. That’s when I knew I wanted to keep giving him a chance.”

“Some of our favorite things to do together are meal prepping, walking the dogs, watching ‘Landman’ together and playing Monopoly. We get kind of aggressive with Monopoly. She destroyed me. I had like two dollars left. And honestly, if you disagree with her, and it’s something silly, just take a deep breath and tell her she’s right.”