Each semester, the students in University of Wisconsin Oshkosh lecturer Grace Lim’s “Telling Stories for Fun, Profit and World Peace” class have the honor of telling the stories of the people in their University’s home community–those people are the Humans of Oshkosh.

The stories vary in topic each semester. There’s been stories on poverty and veterans, community leaders and students, and stories about everyday people around the community recorded almost daily on the Humans of Oshkosh Facebook page.

The class is part of UW Oshkosh general education program–the University Studies Program (USP). While the students in Lim’s class go out to do a large amount of interviewing to collect the stories of the Humans of Oshkosh, they are not journalists or photographers. Instead, they are students learning that words can have great power–and that power can be used for good.

“‘Telling Stories for Fun, Profit and World Peace’ is an interdisciplinary studies course that aims to teach students about the power of storytelling and how powerful their voices can be telling the stories of others and of themselves,” Lim said. “Stories, through the ages, connect us as people. I hope by highlighting some of the stories of the people of Oshkosh will allow us to see the world from multiple perspectives.”

This semester’s stories will be featured at an April 28 event–Humans of Oshkosh Celebration of Community and Stories, featuring the Humans of Oshkosh Teachers Storytelling Project. The event will be held at 6 p.m. in the Reeve Memorial Union ballroom. The event is open to the public.

In addition to a multimedia presentation, there will be a special live musical performance by current student and reigning Miss Oshkosh 2016, Serena Larie, and her sister Janelle Galica ’10, an alumna, current student and Miss Oshkosh 2006. The song In This Room is an original song, written by alumnus Tony Baglien ’15 and Lim. Baglien, who has majors in music composition and recording technology, arranged the music; Lim wrote the lyrics.

The choirs from Oshkosh North and West high schools, led by Bridget Duffy-Ulrich and Bethany Meyer, also will be part of the event.

The teachers of Oshkosh

For this semester’s Humans of Oshkosh focus on teachers, Lim’s class partnered with the Oshkosh Area School District (OASD).

Through principal nominations, 28 OASD teachers came to campus over two Saturdays to sit with UW Oshkosh students and share their stories. All together, more than 100 stories about life in a classroom were collected.

“Some stories made my students laugh; some made them weep. They learned about the teachers who routinely feed and clothe their students, about teachers who take on second jobs so they can buy extra school supplies for their classrooms. They got a glimpse into the lives of these unsung heroes who spend their days–and many sleepless nights–thinking about how they can do better for their students,” Lim said.

Teri Schulze and UWO student Faith Danz

Faith Danz is a student in Lim’s class. She is a sophomore studying kinesiology.

“For me, it was really an honor to be able to tell the story of the teachers of the OASD because I know that their stories have resonated with and touched so many other teachers, their former students and the community as a whole,” Danz said. “Giving small glimpses into the teachers’ worlds helps people to see how much of an impact teachers are making and how their level of dedication to the children and to their careers is often under appreciated or goes unnoticed.  It was really powerful to hear the stories of teachers,and I am so happy we have the opportunity to share their stories with the community.”

Danz was charged with telling the story of UW Oshkosh alumna Teri Schulze ’96 and MSE ’01, who teaches at Read Elementary School.

“This project is so important because it highlights all the wonderful educators in our community who are putting their best efforts into the education of our children,” Schulze said. “As teachers, we are often quite humble and are not used to others acknowledging the work we do. This project has made my job feel more transparent.”

“The project has touched my life by exposing all the other wonderful educators who are a part of the OASD,” Schultze said. “I have been touched by their stories and have been reminded of ways teaching has affected my life.”

The Humans of Oshkosh Teachers Storytelling Project is a multi-discipline collaborative effort. Along with the Facebook page and the culminating event, a 160-page book was designed by UWO art professor Karina Cutler-Lake and her spring 2016 typography students. The book will be available for purchase at the event. All proceeds will support the UW Oshkosh Foundation Student Multimedia Projects Fund.