From corporate to comedy: alum Alex Quow performs stand-up at Vibes Week

Alex Quow, ’16, loves to make people smile.

He performs almost nightly at comedy clubs in New Jersey and New York, trying to brighten up at least one person’s night.

“I woke up a couple days ago to a CNN notification saying nuclear war was imminent,” Quow said. “How are they going to give me bad news before I even brush my teeth? We live in a time where people don’t have to look far to be distraught. I want to brighten people’s lives when we live in such a scary time.”

After graduating in 2016 with a degree in marketing, Quow worked a full-time job for a year but didn’t have a passion for it. He quickly realized the job wasn’t for him and became depressed because he didn’t feel he could be himself. He hated that the job wasn’t an opportunity to make people smile.

Quow began performing stand-up comedy professionally last October.

“I can’t sustain a living off it just yet, but it’s going really well,” Quow said. “I go out and make people laugh all the time and it keeps me going. Comedy is my passion. I have my job, but this is my career — this is what I love.”

Though Hollywood isn’t the goal, Quow said he would like to go as far as he can. He said he doesn’t need to be famous to feel successful. He just wants to make people laugh because it makes his soul feel good.

Making people laugh as a career initially crossed Quow’s mind during his sophomore year at Lehigh. He began watching stand-up and realized the comedians were making a living telling jokes.

By divine intervention, Quow said, he stumbled upon his first stand-up opportunity while ordering food at Hawk’s Nest. He saw another student telling jokes to a full crowd in Lamberton as part of an annual stand-up competition hosted by University Productions.

“It’s something I knew I had to do then,” Quow said.

Quow begged the then-president of UP to give him some time on stage and was allowed five minutes at the end of the show. Those five minutes became his first stand-up comedy performance and made him realize it was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

“I had never made a room that big laugh, and I was just talking how I usually talk,” Quow said.

He believes there’s nothing more important than staying true to himself, which he said has helped his career as a comedian. He gets his audience laughing simply by “telling (his) own truth.”

Quow participated in the same UP competition the following year and won second place. That was the last time he performed at Lehigh before graduating.

Creative Vibes founder Donterrius Walker, ’19, wants to bring comedy back to Lehigh. He created “Vibes Week” to showcase all forms of artists — including comedians, DJs and painters — and give students a chance to experience something new.

“I noticed Lehigh didn’t have any comedy events, and I remember (Quow) being a really funny dude,” Walker said. “I called him to see if we could do something big to bring comedy back to Lehigh.”

Quow returned to Lehigh for Stand-Up Comedy Night in an effort to put smiles on student’s faces Oct. 19. Stand-Up Comedy Night was a part of the first-ever Vibes Week.

Lonnie Bray and Bryan Villone performed alongside Quow. Together they make “The Colored Triangle.”

Students laughed throughout the night. The comedians made fun of each other while tossing in racial quips and talking about their lives.

“I remember this room! Y’all don’t know how many exams I failed in this room. That was Accounting 151, that was finance, that was Accounting 151 the second time,” Quow said while pointing to different sections of Packard 101.

Bray joked about growing up fat and cheating off his would-be wife’s exams in college. Villone joked about his life circumstances.

Usman Ologunebi, ’20, attended the comedy show and thought The Colored Triangle’s act was funny.

“(Quow) definitely hyped the show up,” Ologunebi said.

He said he’d probably go again if another comedy night was hosted on campus.

Students were also allowed to attempt stand-up for a couple minutes before the main act began. Shazeb Fahim, ’20, who won Lehigh’s Got Talent last year, was the only student who performed. Walker said he would have liked more people to try, even if they were nervous.

Walker hopes to have Quow perform at Lehigh again in the future, and Quow said he would be happy to return.

“This is the start of something new,” Walker said.