It is said that laughing is, and will always be the best form of therapy. On March 22, students of Saint Leo University were treated to a magnificent comedic therapy session in the Student Community Center Boardrooms. Here, JR DeGuzman, had the boardrooms erupting in cheers of laughter, as students enjoyed not only his jokes, but his wonderful musical skills.
JR De Guzman was born in the Philippines, and was raised in California. He began performing comedy while working as a music teacher. He has performed all over the world, blending music and comedy to entertain audiences in the United States, France, the Netherlands, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia. On Tuesday night, his jokes surrounded relatable issues such as college life, living with parents, and life after college. His charisma and incorporation of music, definitely had Saint Leo students laughing uncontrollably.
“I was not expecting him to be such a great musician. He played the guitar so well, and his voice was beautiful. I also liked that he was interactive throughout his performance. That made him even funnier and I am glad I decided to come and see him.” said Vanessa Reid, a first year Marketing major.
Danielle, a first year biology major shared similar sentiments: “I loved his singing throughout the performance. It is unlike any other comedy show I have attended, and his use of music definitely added significant value to the show. I really hope he is able to visit sometime in the future, because I really enjoyed his show.”
Before his last act, JR DeGuzman had a Q&A segment where he invited members of his audience to ask questions, which he was eager to answer.
Yasmin Lopes De Oliveira, a first year student, studying pre-medicine, asked: “How did your time in college, studying psychology help you to prepare for being a comedian and musician today?”
JR DeGuzman thought this was a very interesting question and answered: “This definitely helped me to manage my time on tour, and it also helped with my organizational skills and planning effectively and efficiently. During college years there were advisors and members of faculty to help me along the way, but now, I have to do most of my planning myself, and make sure I am going according to plan.”
When asked why he started doing comedy, JR Deguzman said: “I took a class during college, and went on a three month tour with another comedian, and I got hooked after that.” He also stated that: “My favorite comedian is either Dave Chappelle, or Zach Galifianakis. Both manage to inspire me a great deal.”
JR DeGuzman wants Saint Leo students to look out for him on Comedy Central this coming fall, where he will be performing with Kevin Hart. “Kevin Hart and I also just finished recording a tape, called Hart of the City, so I hope you all look out for that, and continue to support me.”
