An Architect Tries Standup

Like most New Year’s resolutions, it started as a vague intention and somehow escalated into something much more public. In my case, that meant auditioning for the Comedy Knight Standup Competition Scholarship at UVA.

To be completely honest, I didn’t expect (or even particularly hope) to be selected. My narrative was "An architect tries standup," which already felt like a stretch. Architects don’t really do standup. No. we do… sit down (ta dum!). See what I mean? But somehow, against my better judgment, I was selected as a finalist and asked to perform live.

Once that reality set in, there was no backing out. For two weeks, I rehearsed obsessively. I tweaked my script, tested jokes on friends, rewrote entire sections, and tried to make everything feel just right. When the night finally arrived, I wasn’t sure whether to be terrified or excited—especially when I realized how many friends had come out to support me. In the moment, it was absolutely terrifying. In hindsight, I’m incredibly grateful.

Then my name was called. I walked on stage. And… I did the thing.

Was it perfect? Definitely not. Did I get laughs? Yes. Did I crack myself up at least once? Also yes. More than anything, it was freeing. There’s something uniquely vulnerable about stepping on a stage and asking people to laugh at you, with you, or somewhere in between. Knowing that I might’ve made someone’s night a little lighter made it all worth it.

Now the question that's probably on nobody's mind is… did I win? Not even close. And honestly, that was part of the joy. Some of the other performances had me laughing harder than I had in months. It became clear that we weren’t really there for a prize. We were there for the shared absurdity of trying something new, together.

So no—architects (or at least this one) can’t do standup. But I tried. And along the way, I made new friends, gained a bit of confidence, and proved to myself that stepping outside the familiar is actually pretty worth it!