Ronald Hae, HBA ’10, is a teacher at Appleby College – and a standup comedian on the side. He tells jokes about high school, dating, and growing up with strict Asian parents.
Here’s a joke I like to tell about growing up: Everyone can pronounce “Ronald,” but because of my parents’ thick accents, they always called me “Rona.” I had to keep reminding them that I’m not a hardware store!
I grew up in Mississauga, Ont. in a very traditional household. There was no comedy. I picked up this whole comedy thing in high school. I took theatre and drama classes. My parents were against it at first. They thought it was a waste of time. They later warmed up to it after my drama teacher explained certain benefits like public speaking. At Western, I was in the improv club and prop master for the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
After Ivey, I got my first real office job as an intern at Kraft, where I was marketing cheese. I soon figured out that the corporate world wasn’t for me. I always wanted to be a high school teacher and decided to go to teachers’ college at the University of Toronto. My first teaching job was as a full-time, pre-business lecturer at Ivey, where I worked for two years before going to Appleby College, where I am now. I love it.
A few years ago, I decided it was time to pursue my passion for standup comedy. I’ve done theatre, but never had the guts to do standup. I love it because of the creative, independent freedom you have. I took a seven-week crash course at Second City and have since performed at places such as Yuk Yuk’s and Absolute Comedy. A presentation course I took at Ivey also helped to hone my standup skills. Former teacher-turned-comedian Gerry Dee is someone I look up to. My dream is to someday have the opportunity to perform in New York comedy clubs.
As for who is the tougher crowd – a standup audience or high school students? It’s definitely the students. They’re not afraid of heckling!
Photo: Nation Wong
Art Direction: Greg Salmela, Aegis
