At a comedy night at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, members of the school’s Stand-up Comedy club bring lots of laughter to their classmates. They give funny speeches, tell jokes and make humorous body movements. These college student comedians may feel unsure of themselves at first. But the experience is highly enjoyable. Their humor entertains and helps ease the stress of crowds of busy, young people. Yet club member Ariella Shua says comedy is serious work. The students write all their own material. Then, in weekly club meetings, they try out that material. “Whoever is reading, we read all of the material, and then we would go joke by joke and see what works and what doesn’t,” Shua told VOA. “So, it starts as an individual project for yourself and becomes a group effort.” Shua joined the club last year. She says she has become a better observer of what is going on around her ever since.