Sam Borghese

Olivia LeganStaff WriterSam Borghese makes quite the first impression. As he walks out of his Freshman Seminar class, Borghese quickly and nonchalantly does a front handspring in the hallway. Once he returns to a vertical position, he grins and says hello.The freshman used to simply consider himself a class clown but now he’s getting serious about being funny. Borghese started performing at Open Mic Night at The Sandwich Spot two months ago.“When I was a little kid, I would always be making jokes. I started being a comedian in sixth grade and people would tell me that I was funny, but then I just started doing stand-up,” Borghese said.Being the class clown can get one in trouble sometimes. Borghese chose to do a persuasive speech on pro-nudism for his English class. When he finished, he pulled off his button up pants, wearing only bright blue spandex shorts on the bottom.“Mrs. Faas said that I had to wear some sort of clothing, or it would be indecent exposure," he said. "I walked down the Tech building hallways after class, still in the spandex. All my friends were like 'Sam, what are you doing? You’re naked.' I got a B -. Oh well, at least it's on YouTube."Borghese wishes to attend New York Film School, and wants to have some part in show business, thought not necessarily in front of the camera. Borghese would love to be a director or writer for comedies.“Sam has always been a really cool guy. One of the reasons we’re friends is that he makes me laugh literally all the time,” freshman Ben Gelfer said.  “His talent is telling jokes; his stand-up is great, he gets the whole crowd roaring.”When I ask him to tell me a joke, he whips out his iPhone and opens a note. On the digital yellow lined paper, he scrolls down what appears to be pages and pages of jokes. He searches for a "good" one, explaining that in his stand-up, he has been trying out awkward "Office"-style humor.“While I am so forgetful with names and faces, I have a few favorite introductions. My best one is when we introduce ourselves and then there will be an awkward moment and then I hug you, whispering ‘handshakes are for strangers.’ Made a lot of new friends that way,” he said, laughing.And of course, Sam plans to end with a joke.When asked where he sees himself in 10 years, he answers, “... dead ...” with a completely straight face. He then smiles and says, “No, but really, I am going to own my own country and get assassinated ... all before I turn 25.”olegan@thesamohi.com