Students assembled in the Chapman Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24 in anticipation of the Comedy Hour featuring comedian Mohammed “Mo” Amer, which was sponsored by University Programming Board (UPB).

Amer, an established stand-up comedian who was born in Kuwait and currently resides in Houston, has performed in over 27 countries on five continents.

Amer’s jokes revolve mostly around his under-standing of diversity among races and cultures, religion and terrorism issues, and even his struggles with citizenship in America. He is also known as the first and only Arab-American refugee comedian to perform for U.S. and coalition troops overseas.

As Amer told his jokes, he interacted with the crowd of FMU students, which resulted in several laughs throughout the event.

“He was quite funny to be honest. It felt good to get a good laugh and it lifted my spirits,” sophomore mathematics major Jamel Cooper said. “He was very creative. I also liked how he included the crowd in his act. I just think it was good that it lifted everyone’s spirits and make everyone feel good about being at school.”

As a budding comedian in the industry, Amer has traveled and worked with several other well-known comedians such as Dave Chappelle and Jeff Dunham. He has also performed at some renowned arenas around the world such as the Apollo in New York City with rapper Mos Def.

“Probably the most memorable was the Nelson Mandela theatre in Johannesburg,” Amer said. “It was just such a powerful experience to be there because they had just gotten over the Apartheid less than 13 years (ago) at that point.”

Amer was discovered by Assistant Dean of Students LaTasha Brand while she was in Atlanta, and she decided that he would be a great fit for the crowd during Welcome Week activities.

“I thought he was really funny,” Brand said. “We got a lot of good laughs so I enjoyed it.”

UPB hosted the Comedy Hour in hopes that students would get a good laugh in and enjoy themselves before classes got started.

“The fact that our students showed up in record numbers was very exciting,” Brand said. “It was exciting to see them here and exciting to see them having a good time.”

UPB ultimately did what they could in attempting to make students laugh, relax and enjoy themselves. Many students had positive things to say about Amer’s appearance at FMU.

Junior elementary education major and UPB member Kaanan Lewis enjoyed the performance.

“He was funny, hilarious and well-rounded,” Lewis said. “He really caught my attention.”

Amer is currently work-ing on a one-man show entitled “Legally Homeless: Trials of a Refugee” that will premiere as an HBO special in the near future.