Speaking in front of a group of people is scary. Now, try making them laugh.

Mr. Winston Dean, world geography teacher, has a very unique aspiration.  He dreams to become a part of the comedy community, which he started pursuing within the past two months.

“My dream job is to do stand up,” Dean said. “I’ve always liked to make people laugh. I didn’t necessarily have the confidence to try it out until just recently, but it’s always been there.”

His inspiration to begin this journey were comedians such as Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy and Aziz Ansari. He usually likes observational humor and stand up comedians.

There are many people that have been helpful to get him to where he wants to be.

“Number one would be my mom because she’s always told me to do stand up. Number two would be my friend Laurel because she holds me accountable saying ‘Hey it’s open mic tonight you should go’. Third would be Ms. Clift, because she inspires me to try new things outside of my comfort zone,” Dean said.

So far, having done five sets, Dean has had his share of good and not so good moments.

“When people talk about the apocalypse, they make it seem like they’re going to be with their family and friends. But that’s not necessarily the case. You are probably going to end up with Zach from Kinkos or someone you don’t know,” Dean said. “Everyone thinks they are Rick Grimes [From The Walking Dead] and they will last forever. Nobody ever thinks that they might be the character that dies in the second episode.”

There was a time when Dean made a joke that did not go well with the audience. He spoke about the defeat of Ronda Rousey.

“I felt like people felt too bad for her and they didn’t want to laugh too hard,” Dean said. “But I was able to pull the laughs when I was like ‘Look, if you ask anyone in here if they would go into a ring with Ronda Rousey for 48 seconds and gain $3 million, they would do it.”

Although he loves his job as a teacher, he believes it’s never too late to begin your dreams, and Dean is in pursuit of it.