Interview with Trevor Uitenbroek, 04/30/2018

CH: This is Chris Hess interviewing Trevor Uitenbroek. Just tell me what time it is and give me the day of this interview?

TU: It's April 30th about 8 o' clock.

CH: So I just want to start off with some basic questions about your background, so tell me about a little bit of where you grew up .

TU: Well I guess you could say we grew up in Kaukauna, outside of Kaukauna. I have a brother and a sister and we're all pretty close that way. Well like outside of my family like aunts, uncles, cousins, we all live pretty close together. We're all pretty close that way because we all try to get together at different family events at least once a week--stuff like that.

CH: Okay, yeah, okay, so you know could you say what types of--in your 00:01:00neighborhood what people did? Were people more like of a suburbs, farming--stuff like that?

TU: Well where we live now is mostly country, but before we moved out to Kaukaua we lived in Darboy--I don't know if you know where that is. We basically lived right across the street from the church, and we lived right, we actually lived right next door to our cousins so we played with them all the time. We lived down the street from another family, there were two boys about our age and we played with them all the time as well so there were about 7 of us that played together on a regular basis.

CH: Then did you know where you grew up did those people around you and other family did they typically go to college?

TU: Yeah, I believe out of the kids that I mentioned all of us went to college 00:02:00in some form like my brother, sister, my cousins, and the other family--we all went to college.

CH: And then what about your grandparents? Did they go to college at all?

TU: Well I believe my grandpa had up to high school and my dad's mom I don't believe had any post high school schooling at all. The same with my maternal grandparents.

CH: Did your family emphasize education? Was that an important thing in your family then?

TU: Yes, yes.

CH: Where was your family from? I know you said Kaukauna, but then were you always in Kaukauna?

TU: Well our family wasn't originally, we originally had a house in Darboy like 00:03:00I had mentioned, we moved out to Kaukauna when we got a little older like Middle School.

CH: But generally that area?

TU: Yeah, most of our family is located around the Fox Cities area with a with a few exceptions.

CH: Okay, and then you're saying you lived Darboy, then why the move to Kaukauna?

TU: That was actually my dad's idea. Well part of it we needed a little more space and the property had a huge shed for storage purposes and that's what basically sold him.

CH: Okay, so just a lot more space. So what did your parents do for work?

TU: Plastering. My dad originally started in a pattern shop and then my mom helped us kids at home and then my dad kind of worked plastering on the side 00:04:00because that's what his dad and his sisters worked with because he had four sisters and they kind of helped my grandpa and then he kind of started his own side business when he was working at the pattern shop and then eventually he had enough, I guess material and savings and stuff like that you can eventually go out on his own.

CH: That's cool..that he ended up doing that. Can you tell me a little bit about the values of your family? Religious? You said they emphasized education--things like that.

TU: How do I put this? We all like I said we all try to get together on a regular basis we're all pretty close, we are pretty close together. I don't know how to describe it.

CH: But family is definitely important.

TU: Family is definitely important. One of the things that we try to do on a regular basis is just to get together on weekends, especially on Sundays we will go to church sometimes all together, sometimes different and we will all end up at my dad's parents in Darboy which is across street and right in the neighborhood of where we grew up. So that's kind of where we like to go on Sundays for brunch.

CH: That's kind of something that my family always did too is that we'd always go over to my grandparent's for Sunday Funday, lunch, brunch type day too

TU: And another thing is on Saturday's we'll go over to my other grandparent's house and she always does chili for lunch, so that's another thing I try not to 00:06:00miss. Well not because of the chili itself, because it's it's just an opportunity to spend time with family more than anything else.

CH: I suppose because everyone's kind of in the same area but not always together.

TU: Yeah, exactly.

CH: So you know growing up in your Community obviously close with other friends and stuff like that. Would you say you learned any kind of lessons or anything like that and values growing up that you could look back on and say you know I learned this, I learned that you know growing up as a kid?

TU: Well again I'm repeating myself--just the importance of education, family, things like that, just doing 100% into whatever you're doing--whether it'd.work, 00:07:00schoolwork, any kind of volunteer opportunity, whatever project you happen to be working on outside of that.

CH: So definitely family, helping out, stuff like that. So then what was it like growing up in your house?

TU: Usually I was the quiet one.

CH: So you stayed out of trouble.

TU: Not necessarily. Usually I was the one who always went from school to homework--did whatever reading reading a separate book, but usually usually I was the one that just tried to mind my own business, but otherwise my brother 00:08:00and sister were all involved in all kinds of different activities, so otherwise I'd go to support them obviously. Sometimes we'll go out and do different things as a family.

CH: Well what was your house like?

TU: Well in Darboy it was kind of a smaller ranch house, one story. The master suite was on one side of the house. There were 2 bedrooms on the other side of the house, so it was kind of split off a little bit. And then when we went out to Kaukauna obviously it got a little bigger like I mentioned, my dad wanted a little more space.

CH: Okay, so now I got a background here on you, I just want to forward this to 00:09:00a little more about the education. The question to you would be what were the schools like that you attended when you were younger to as you got older? Were there certain subjects you liked? Schools you liked more, students, friends? Just stuff like that.

TU: Well, we all started at Holy Angels in Darboy because we basically walked to school. And that's where we got a lot of our--again reinforcing our values and stuff like that-- family and faith I guess you would say and I guess that's kind of where I got started. I guess one of my favorite subject was English. Music 00:10:00was always a favorite of mine, still is. I don't know why I always liked whenever we did like plays and stuff like that. I'm more of a English/Arts kind of thing instead of a Math/Science kind of person if you know what I mean. My brother on the other hand, he's the other way around. Then we actually moved to the Kaukauna a couple years before I graduated from Holy Angels, so we ended up going to Kaukauna High School afterwards then my freshman and sophomore year were a bit of a bumpy stretch. My uncle

was the JV basketball coach and he got me involved with helping the basketball 00:11:00team and that kind of helped me get through high school long story short.

CH: I suppose that would help, it's always fun to be a part of something like that.

TU: Long story short, high school was not one of my favorite parts of life. My brother and sister were involved in all kinds of different things when they were in high school. I went to as many different things as I could to help support them. Once we got to college I obviously ended up here. My sister ended up at Eau Claire and my brother was at (Stevens) Point.

CH: I had a couple friends and stuff head out to Platteville and (Stevens) Point too and stuff like that--those are nice schools too. In education what were your goals you know as like a younger person growing up what did you have goals and aspirations like in your mind as well as what you wanted to do as you got older or did you come to college like everybody else thinking I don't know what I'm doing.

TU: I always had some idea of what I wanted to do something with media, but I wasn't entirely sure what coming into college. So I kind of played around with it a little when I was at UW-Fox Valley

CH: And then did your parents have goals for you too or they just supported you 00:13:00with whatever you did or wanted to do?

TU: They were definitely supportive of whatever I ended up doing because I guess between the three of us we we definitely have a tendency of going our own way.

CH: Definitely if one is over in Eau Claire and (Stevens) Point that's a little bit separated there.

TU: We are very different people.

CH: When you decided you wanted to go to college what 'd your family think?

TU: Well, it really wasn't a question. The question was where was I going to end up.

CH: When did you begin to the kind of think that you wanted to go to college when did you know that.

TU: Well, I guess I started looking at colleges sometime during my Junior and 00:14:00Senior year when I was in high school because like I said I really wasn't sure which direction I was going to go yet.

CH: And then how did you as you were growing up then how did you think about college or higher education? What did you think of that when you were younger? Did you think that's kind of what I want to do then?

TU: Well-- yeah I knew it was something I wanted to do eventually, but not something I wanted to think about at that point.

CH: Yeah I suppose that would be a little far off. What got you interested about college?

TU: I guess all the new opportunities is the best way to put it.

CH: Okay--yeah, for sure. There's plenty of things to do once you get to college. All kinds of clubs and all kinds of things to do. So then you said before eventually it wasn't a question of if you wanted to but when and where. What school did you end up considering? You obviously came to UWO, but then did you consider other ones before?

TU: Well I mean I talked about UWGB was one I considered. Silver Lake in Manitowoc and I think the other one was (Stevens) Point.

CH: You know so many colleges to go to obviously--how did you end up picking--where you wanted to go?

TU: Well it all came down to like, I guess this isn't the best way to decide on a college, but it all came down to what I wanted to do with my career and where I ended up. So it came down between UW-GB and here(UWO) and which one offered the best program and I heard nothing but good things about Oshkosh's RTF program.

CH: Did you end up having friends I went to college as well? I would assume.

TU: 1 actually and he actually ended up being one of my roomates at one point.

CH: Well that's good then. That's always fun to live with your friends.

TU: Well ehh--that's another story.

CH: You decided you wanted to go to UWO for the RTF program, so then would you say that was the most important decision there and making that decision?

TU: Yeah.

CH: And then obviously you knew before you attended you heard about all the great things about the RTF program. And then once you came to Oshkosh because you took a visit then and then what were what were the first impressions when you got here?

TU: It was really cool, like I said I went up to WRST, TitanTV and had a little look around but I didn't really get to see much in there but I was definitely impressed. My cousin who I told you about that I ended up being roommates with. 00:18:00He took me around some of the other areas of campus to classrooms and he showed me around a little bit of the rest of the University and I was definitely impressed.

CH: So then you ended up staying in the dorms then?

TU: For one year.

CH: And what was that like?

TU: Uh--interesting. All the rest of the people on my floor wanted nothing to do but to party and watch TV all night and all that kind of stuff and I was trying to concentrate.

CH: Well then you said you got a story because one of your friends was your roommate and how did that work out then?

TU: My cousin--Nick is his name. And he's probably going to hate me for saying this. There was one night, so this is my first year in an apartment with him and 00:19:00two other guys. So one night there was kind of tension building between all four of us in the apartment kind of all year. And one night I came to a head between Nick and this other guy. Everybody was shouting and Nick ended up grabbing (something) and threw it at the wall and ended up putting a hole in the wall. And after that night he moved out the rest of the year. Like I said I'm not sure I should be saying this.

CH: I hope he doesn't hear this. So obviously you get to a point and choose 00:20:00Oshkosh and stuff like that and then do you remember anything about your first day? Did you have a hard time finding classes or anything like that or how did that, how did that go for you?

TU: Well it wasn't so bad my first day. I got along pretty well but one thing I do remember if I can go on a little bit of a tangent here. It wasn't exactly my first day but it was like one of my first within my first week. You know what Taste of Oshkosh?

CH: Yup.

TU: So I was walking around that. And I wasn't really looking at anything in particular and that's kind of where I ran into like the WRST table and Titan TV and all that. But then I kind of heard a voice from behind me like walking 00:21:00around because I didn't really know anybody at that time. Obviously it was one of my first days on campus. And I turn around and I see an old friend behind me. He actually was a seminarian the first time I met him but he was actually now the campus priest over at the Newman Center. And I was like, "Oh, Hi!" Like I said I'm going off on a tangent now, so that's what got me into there and it was actually one of the better things that could've happened to me.

CH: So then how were those weeks going as you got into classes? Were they going good? Do you remember classes you were kind of taking at that point or anything or how those first weeks were?

TU: It was nothing special as far as classes go, but like I said it was just getting started I was just trying to just keep my nose clean I guess you could say. Just trying not to get in too much trouble.

CH: Yeah, that's usually a pretty good idea. So then was it hard for you to kind of adjust to college life at all or do you kind of just like whatever.

TU: Not really.

CH: It was pretty simple for you?

TU: Yeah.

CH: Okay. sSo then how did you end up doing in your in your first semester? Did you end up doing pretty good then?

TU: I think so. I don't remember.

CH: Then like later on did you ever have any issues with classes or just kind of did pretty well the whole way through?

TU: There were a few classes that gave me trouble.

CH: What kind of classes? Like you know before you're talking about you know 00:23:00you're more of an English guy. Did you end up having to take those science and math stuff?

TU: No,because I took a lot of those when I was at UW-Fox.

CH: And then what classes were difficult for you then? Because like for me I struggled hard in Biology and Math when I had to take those here. Those were not my favorite. Were there ones you kind of struggled in then?

TU: Well I had to take a history class and I swear the teacher was so boring I fell asleep almost everyday.

CH: Did you get yelled at?

TU: I don't think so.

CH: Yeah I've had a couple like that before..it's not very fun when you're going there and your head bobbing and whatnot.

TU: Yeah that was one I definitely remember.

CH: So then obviously your major would have been radio TV film right?

TU: Yeah.

CH: Okay and then you said you knew that you wanted to do media right away. How did you know that? How did you kind of decide on that because I know a lot of people nowadays you know switch their major on average 3 to 4 times as they go through college but you were always just kind of set on that?

TU: Well I've always had an interest in that since I was really young.

CH: Okay. And then how did that get sparked?

TU: I guess just watching different programs and news, sports, stuff like that.

CH: Okay, and you just liked how that all got put together then?

TU: Yeah. I know it's nothing interesting.

CH: Well you know it's something interesting to you, so that definitely matters. It's definitely cool to go behind the scenes and see how that's made you know, that's definitely a cool thing. Do you remember anything about the Gen Ed 00:25:00classes you had to take at all? Or did you not really have to because you know you said you went to UW-Fox?

TU: Well, the gen ed classes I had to take here or at Fox?

CH: Both of them I suppose. Whatever you remember.

TU: Like I said I'd rather not go in that history class. But yeah when I took a lot of my gen ed classes at Fox I mean your English classes I was obviously really good at, but math classes not so much. I think I had to get a tutor at one point. I remember one biology class for whatever reason the professor was awesome. He kind of had hair like you with a ponytail in the back. But I had 00:26:00this really good group that we got along so well but that's one of the classes that stood out for whatever reason.

CH: Are there any other classes you remember well?

TU: I took a couple Comm Arts classes like Intro to TV and stuff like that when I was there as well just to get me started for coming here.

CH: Were there any professors that you really remember that you really liked/disliked anything like? Any professor that kind of stood out to you?

TU: Randall Davidson by far.

CH: Okay, and why was that?

TU: Because whether I was in one of his classes or whether I was say working up at WRST about something on my own I could ask him a question about anything and he wouldn't get angry or he'd always take the time to explain everything.

CH: And then he would have been like one of the professors like once you got to your RTF stuff that he was one of them?

TU: Yup because once I got to Oshkosh I pretty much concentrated more on the RTF stuff.

CH: So then that really helped coming from UW-Fox then?

TU: Right.

CH: Because you were able to complete a lot of the gen ed stuff?

TU: Right.

CH: And you just kind of figured go to Fox and then transfer to Oshkosh or how did that end up working out?

TU: I had my eye on Oshkosh since I graduated from high school, but then I decided to go to Fox and then transfer.

CH: Yeah I mean I know people that will do that to help save money and stuff like that and you only have to go to school you know not as much. It's definitely a good route to take that's for sure. You know you say you're trying to concentrate and stuff like that when you were in your room, so then what kind of student were you then? Were you just a buckle down do your work? Or every now and then you kinda?

TU: For the most part I'm usually one of those people that tries to--I'll get like a assignment or a project or something like that and I'll try to get as much as I can done right away or up to a certain point before I can't do anything else and then I'll go do whatever.

CH: Okay. So then obviously as an RTF major I would think you spend most your time kind of in that RTF room--would you say it's a room? In that one building right?

TU: Well, WRST is an entire floor of that Arts and Communications building. Amd then the other building over in that area that's all that's pretty much all RTF as well.

CH: Is that kind of where you spent most of your time on campus when you weren't in your dorm? Or where did you spend most of your time on campus?

TU: So usually well we already touched on two of them. I actually pretty much all of them. If I wasn't in either my dorm or my apartment when I was in class I was either at WRST, TitanTV, or over at the Newman Center. That's basically it. Or in class obviously.

CH: Yeah, I would hope so. So then obviously Darboy/Kaukauna really isn't that 00:30:00far, so did you go home much on the weekends and stuff like that?

TU: Every couple weeks I would say.

CH; Okay, obviously to visit family because that's very important to you. You know you said the people in your dorm like to party a lot and all that stuff or whatever. What else were the dorms like? Did you meet a lot of people in there?

TU: I met maybe two or three people that I tried to stay with when I was in the dorms that year. And there was one that I actually still talk with. He's actually in the Navy right now and I still try to get together with him when he comes home and I think I'm going to meet up with him for his wedding in a couple months.

CH: Oh really? Well that'll be a lot of fun then. So then you went from the dorms and then you said you had an apartment. What was that like you know you said you had the 4 of you and it eventually came to a head, but besides that what else was it like to be able to live in an apartment by yourself off campus?

TU: Well it was a lot easier to get studying down on my own for starters. Well I actually knew obviously all but one of the people I lived with obviously my cousin Nick and his friend that I had met a few times before but other than that it was pretty easy to get familiar with the people I live with and get to know them--that sort of thing.

CH: Was your apartment close enough that you would walk?

TU: Yeah, oh yeah. I actually lived over by JT's on the east side of campus. I could easily walk from there to this building(Sage) which was basically my entire last semester I could do that in about 15 minutes.

CH: Okay, well that's not bad at all. So then what was that like in the winter? Did that get pretty rough sometimes then?

TU: Well, I will put it this way that 15 minutes was usually my winter time.

CH: So then you were talking about when your cousin put that hole in the wall. What are some other memories you have of people in college..your friends in 00:33:00college stuff like that, anything that you remember?

TU: Well that roommate, well not roommate but friend from the dorms I mentioned. He actually ended up moving in with me the following year which was my final year on campus and it made for a really fun, interesting year for my last year on campus. That's probably what really sealed our friendship honestly. We got to know each other a lot better that way.

CH: And then what were other students like? Any kind of memories of what other people were like around here?

TU: Well I was involved in obviously a few different things between going on 00:34:00different things for WRST and Titan TV and going to the Newman Center a lot and going to classes. Met a couple of a lot of different people but nothing that really stands out.

CH: And then you know we talked a lot about you know your dorm andyour apartment and stuff like that, any other things that you remember about campus? Just kind of like life on campus as it is you know talking about Taste of Oshkosh you know any other things more interesting that happened while you were around here?

TU: Well I would always go to karaoke down in the underground. And I made a few friends that way.

CH: Did you ever get up and sing some karaoke?

TU: Oh yeah.

CH: What kind of songs did you like to pick out?

TU: Mostly country. It was actually my final one in my last year she is like, 00:35:00"It's your last karaoke ever you better be there when I was trying to get a project done. She's telling me I gotta get down to the Underground.

CH: Well there you go trying to study again, but then you can't get your project done.

TU: Well the thing is I do this all the time I got to find a little bit of work and play got to find that balance.

CH: Definitely, I know I can't sit through and just do homework for hours on end of me at some point you gotta take take that break. Then at UWO you would say everything was pretty good?

TU: For the most part. I mean like I said the only bad memory that sticks out was obvioulsy that night at the apartment.

CH: How did that end up? You got a hole in the wall, who had to fix that?

TU: My landlord.

CH: How'd that go over with the landlord? When did you tell him?

TU: Well, we told him the next morning.

CH: They probably weren't very happy were they?

TU: No.

CH: So then you know a Radio TV film major and then you know we talked about you and WRST and TitanTV and the Newman Center. And that was just about all that you were involved in right?

TU: Pretty much.I'm kind of boring.

CH: And then what were those like? You know I just want you to tell me because I don't know anything about Radio TV film, so what was the WRST? What was that all about? What was that like? From when you started to the finish what was that all about?

TU: Like I said I got one of my first introductions to them when I was at Taste of Oshkosh, so I went to a meeting during one of the first weeks of the year and Randall Davidson kind of introduced what the radio station was about and tried to introduce the different things that we can get involved in. So I ended up on a Bluegrass show which incidentally I ran through my entirety at UW Oshkosh. I also got involved with a Sports Talk program.

CH: So then did you do any of the titan games? Stuff like that?

TU: Well there's a sports just a one-hour sports program as part of the schedule. And then we also would go go out to Titan Stadium or over to the KOLF and both football or basketball. Baseball over at Tiederman.

CH: Okay, so the sports talk was an hour broadcast then? And then that was just like a general overview of sports and stuff like that?

TU: We'd do like Titan Sports, different Titan Sports and then we'd do say the Badgers, like whatever was going on with the Badgers. We'd cover like, NBA, NFL, whatever happened to be going on that week.

CH: So just kind of whatever, all kinds of stuff like that.

TU: We'd cover all kinds of stuff in an hour. And the other thing is whatever issues happened to be going on in the sports world. We'd try to touch on stuff 00:39:00like that as well.

CH: Anything else then that happened in that WRST type stuff? I mean if you were there for quite some time I would imagine you did quite a bit of stuff.

TU: Well at certain points during the day there's 4:55 and 5:55 every day, every afternoon there's little news updates. I'd do those once every week. And then the other thing I have..I don't have it with me obviously--but during my final semester I had a class called broadcast station operations. My second last year 00:40:00I took a class called Advanced Radio production, so we each had to do two feature length pieces.

CH: How long is a feature-length then?

TU: At least 5 minutes. And so my first one I went out to the Oshkosh farmers market and just collected all kinds of different audio sounds. Like just people walking and different people talking about what they're doing there. Just different things like that and turn that into a 5 minute piece.

CH: That farmer's market is pretty big and there's there's a lot going on there and I've walked down it like once I mean there's plenty going on.

TU: Okay and my second one is my favorite because actually my uncle died in 2009 00:41:00and what ended up happening was his daughter was 2 years behind me at UW Oshkosh so I brought her up to WRST with me which was an interesting experience in itself. And she and I just went back and forth about what our experience was about what happened the night her father died.

CH: That would be quite the interview then.

TU: Well it wasn't so much an interview, but she told her side of the story first and I told my side of the story because we obviously weren't there together when it happened and then I kind of cut it all together, just kind of mashed it all together and it turned out really well.

CH: So then TitanTV, what was what was that all about then?

TU: I honestly did more with WRST when I was in college then TitanTV, but my first year I helped with a show. It was kind of along the lines of like Whose Line Is It Anyway or something like that. It was called Six Reasons to Watch This Show. I don't even know how else to explain it.

CH: Well that sounds pretty fun then.

TU: And then of course I got involved doing news broadcast and stuff like that behind the scenes working with the sports broadcasts out at Titan Stadium or 00:43:00Tiedeman or something like that.

CH: And then what what would be like, you know you said that you had your favorite piece there was that feature. What was what was the best thing about that whole RTF thing and WRST and Titan TV. Did you have a favorite thing to do all the time then? Any other really good memories of that?

TU: I don't know I just like I said I spent a lot of time more time up at WRST than TitanTV I guess. I guess just working on something up at WRST just trying to make sure it was right. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I mean it was the same 00:44:00way when I worked with the TV broadcast but we're a little more leeway that way too.

CH: And then besides you know going to to broadcast. Well I guess was that was that kind of only reason you went to sporting events then was for the broadcast? Or were there some other ones you just really liked to go to?

TU: Well besides the broadcast stuff a lot of the other stuff was scripted shows which I didn't really care too much for. I wasn't really all that interested in.

CH: You just prefer the reaction to things the way live TV would be or whatever without the script. Did you did you go to football games and stuff like that on your own?

TU: Occasionally yes.

CH: What would be your favorite sport?

TU: Probably football.

CH: Okay so then you would kind of go to them occasionally?

TU: Yeah, whenever like TitanTV or WRST would have a broadcast we could sign up for different roles if we wanted to like if it's like your expertise is camera audio or something like that and somebody already has those rolls filled in then I guess we don't have to fill in any of the other roles if we don't feel comfortable with them, so then if we really wanted to go to the game by by ourselves we could which is what ended up happening a few times. And the same thing with WRST..you obviously have your announcers and stuff like that and they 00:46:00carry a lot of their equipment with them. And that that's pretty much all they really needed on a WRST broadcast except for there's one person back in the studio that takes care of all the commercials and makes sure everything stays on air and stuff like that. So really WRST doesn't really need too many people.

CH: So then these were the things you were really involved in was the WRST, Titan TV, not really any student government type stuff?

TU: No.

CH: Broadcasting wise do you remember any important social issues or like political stuff when you were here?

TU: Well I was still here during the 2012 election and we covered, well I 00:47:00remember I went by myself to a Newt Gingrich rally on campus and he was obviously one of the candidates for president during that time and so I went to get audio for that and we put that into a newscast and then during the election night--so we had I don't know how many people up in the studio and I was back in the music library we had the studio, the two production rooms, the Newsroom and music library all filled with people all doing different things. I was back in the music library like looking up stats or something like that and that was my entire night.

CH So then obviously you spent a ton of time with all that stuff did you do 00:48:00anything else like for fun? Did you go out to the bars at all or anything like that?

TU: No, I mean occasionally I'd go workout at the Rec center. But otherwise for a social time the Newman Center was where my main hangout was.

CH: It definitely is a nice place, I've been in there a couple times. Then like we said before obviously Kaukauna isn't that far away. Did you come to Oshkosh every now and then if you were in Kaukauna did you ever come down to Oshkosh just you know before you were even in college? Because what was your first impression of Oshkosh when you came to it? Not necessarily the University, but the actual city.

TU: It's not like I hadn't been to Oshkosh prior to going to college. I always 00:49:00liked coming to Oshkosh every once in a while.

CH: So then UWO--I don't know what the statistics are or whatever but usually there's generally more women than men on campus would you say that would've been the same thing when you were here? Did you see more women than men on campus?

TU: Like I said I was more involved with WRST, TitanTV and Newman Center obviously, but there are a few women that I knew from WRST and TitanTV but it was primarily men. I mean in the Newman Center it was probably half and half. A lot of my classes I don't even remember.

CH: But definitely being a man impacted the activities you were involved with saying that more men were at the WRST stuff.

TU: Well not necessarily. It was just something I enjoyed doing. It didn't have anything to do with what gender I was.

CH: Okay, and then what was social life like? Did you have any relationships when you were at UWO?

TU: No.

CH: And then we talked about major campus issues was the 2012 campaign. So kind of overall what did you think you learned at UWO while you were here? Anything you really took away? Obviously you know all about RTF and all that stuff, but just kinda what else did you learn at UWO?

TU: Just to keep learning keep learning everyday and value the friends and 00:51:00experiences that you have and just keep wanting more of those.

CH: Did you have Quest classes when you came to UWO? So then obviously you graduated, how did you feel when you ended up finishing college?

TU: Well it took me awhile after graduation to get into where I wanted to go next in my career so that was an interesting transition.

CH: I'm only a sophomore, so I got two more years so I have no idea what that's going to feel like at all. So then obviously very involved with all the RTF 00:52:00stuff. I have a buddy who runs track who is in the radio TV film stuff too. But anyways what did want to do? Did you have an idea of what you wanted to do you know? Kind of like a job lined up?

TU: Well I had been applying for jobs constantly during my last semester but nothing was happening. Obviously after graduation I kept applying for jobs and same thing. So it took awhile for something to happen.

CH: So the job market was pretty rough?

TU: I had an internship down in Fond du Lac when I was here. I got back in touch with my boss from there and he agreed to help me out a little bit. He said we we 00:53:00could use you on some football games, basketball games stuff like that doing some high school games. So I got a little bit of experience from that again.

CH: Then did you have fun with that then?

TU: Yeah. And then I actually got a job with the Timber Rattlers.

CH: Really? What was that like?

TU: It was only a couple days a week, but it was doing like video production of the games for their in-house system.

CH: Oh sure yeah. That's probably pretty cool though setting all that up. So then you said job market was pretty rough and tough. What have you done then since you graduated?

TU: Like I started to tell you I went from Radio Plus in Fond du Lac to Timber 00:54:00Rattlers. And then I got in the morning shows of all things at NBC 26 in Green Bay.

CH: How did that happen?

TU:That was one of the places I just kept applying. I kept seeing job openings. And then the news director finally said, " Okay, we'll give you a chance." I think he was just sick of seeing me come in his door and then I ended up obviously at WBAY about a year later.

CH: Okay and then how did that all line up that you ended up there?

TU: Well, my brother, he's actually out in Denver right now, he ran across a 00:55:00position on one of his sights that he looks up jobs and he found that opening and sent it to me.

CH: So then you applied and the chips fell.

TU: Apparently.

CH: That's awesome then.

TU: And that news director had remembered me obviously from a position I applied for before and I guess he wanted me for that position.

CH: And that's where you're at now still?

TU: Right.

CH: A couple general questions here. How did College prepare you for life after college? Would you say it did?

TU: Well it did in a sense that it gave me the skills needed for my job, but you always have to be ready for obstacles and that's what college doesn't exactly 00:56:00teach you. Because I think college teaches you that things are going to go smooth.

CH: Right, because you're always on a schedule.

TU: Right, but you always gotta be ready for obstacles.

CH: Okay, so you would say it definitely prepared you for your career in that you're in the social media stuff and you know you got where you're at now that definitely helped there but not as much as you would say in actual life?

TU: Right.

CH: Being at UWO did that help you in participating in your community. Like you do a lot of that? Because you know you talked about volunteering obviously was a 00:57:00thing your family did. And then did UWO kind of also do that with you as well?

TU: Well not necessarily because even before I went to UWOI helped a lot with my church like different things like even when even when I was at UWO, like I said I'll go to the Newman Center a lot. I'd read at mass all the time. And even before I was at UWO I'd do different things at my church and stuff like that. I mean it kind of reinforced it in a way.

CH: So then since you graduated have you had much involvement at UWO or any involvement at all or just kind of not so much?

TU: Not so much unfortunately. I don't get back here that often.

CH: I suppose if you're up towards back home. What do you think UWO now? Do you hear a lot about it? I know sports wise we've been doing pretty good. What do you think about it now?

TU: I'd probably come back . I probably wouldn't change my decision.

CH: Last question I got for you. What advice would you give to current students here at UWO if you had to tell them a few things?

TU: Just work hard, just do your best to overcome any challenges you might face 00:59:00and you'll be fine. No matter how hard you work you always gotta remember to take rests and then you can refocus I guess is the best way to put it. You always gotta remember to take a rest otherwise your brain is going to go on overload.

CH: Alright sweet, well thank you for coming in and doing this.