“(Comedy) has always been something I wanted to do,” he said.

Determined to practice his material and make a name for himself in the comedy scene, Kline would either lie about his age or bring his parents to his performances so he could participate.

Now, several years later, Kline is performing as a master of ceremonies at comedy shows in cities such as Detroit and Grand Rapids, as well as locally at venues including Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing, and Connxtions Comedy Club, 2900 N. East St., in Lansing.

Connxtions Comedy Club has hosted comedians from throughout the country, including Drew Carey and Rob Schneider.

The venue — which is the only comedy club in the area — also hosts an open mike night every Wednesday, which attracts many local comedians, including several MSU students.

One of these student comedians is media arts and technology senior Taylor Reschka, who got his start as a stand-up comedian at the Union’s Open Mic Night presented by the University Activities Board, or UAB.

He said the large comedy scene in the Lansing area — compared to that in his hometown of Marquette, Mich., where he performed in the local library — has given him the chance to practice his material.

For about a year now, Reschkahas been practicing his material at comedy competitions and in clubs to prepare for this year’s Last Spartan Standing, a comedy competition hosted by the UAB.

He said although turning his stand-up routine into a full-time career will be a grueling process, he is more than ready to accept the challenge.

“The most difficult things are the things that are worth doing,” Reschka said.

For those not pursuing careers in stand-up, there are other outlets for students’ comedic creativity. Noah Gebstadt, an English junior and member of MSU’s “Sideshow,” a sketch comedy group associated with MSU Telecasters, heard about this humorous show in high school and knew he had to become part of it once he got to MSU.

Some of the sketches, such as “Living La Vida Loko,” which has more than 17,000 views on YouTube, have created an Internet buzz.

“It’s 99 percent just fooling around, and all that fooling around leads to one really good idea,” Gebstadt said.

Although for many of its members, Sideshow simply is a way to be goofy and have a good time, others, such as Gebstadt, who always has dreamt of having a career in screen writing, take it more seriously.

For Kline balancing his comedy and college has been a big challenges he has faced while trying to launch his career.

But his less-than-perfect grades are a small price to pay for what he could achieve, he said.

“It’s a really empowering feeling when everyone gets a good laugh,” Kline said.