The Student Government’s thought-provoking discussion series What Matters to U returns to the University of Miami Coral Gables Campus at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29 in the Donna E. Shalala Student Center when Kal Penn, actor and former White House administrator, takes the stage.
Penn played Kumar Patel in the “Harold & Kumar” movie series and had starring roles in television shows that included “House” and “Designated Survivor.” The actor spent nearly two decades in the entertainment industry.
Then, in 2009, Penn temporarily put his acting career on hold to tackle another passion, politics. For two years, he served in the Obama administration as the associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and as the president’s liaison to young Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the Arts community.
“The intersectionality of all the things Kal Penn is doing as an actor and advocate is something my team and I wanted to have our students see and be able to learn from during this event,” said Meera Patel, a senior studying microbiology, immunology, and public health and chair of the What Matters to U committee.
Penn also served as a national co-chair for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 and served on the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities, focusing on arts education and cultural diplomacy, including the first-ever U.S. Government arts delegation to Cuba.
Following his work with the Obama administration, Penn returned to the television industry as an actor, writer, and producer. In 2019, he starred in and co-created “Sunnyside,” a patriotic immigration sitcom on NBC.
As the host of “Getting Warmer with Kal Penn,” a show billed as focusing “on the intersection of climate, clean energy, and business,” the actor will travel the country looking at businesses and communities transitioning to clean energy. The show is set to premiere in October.
Since 2019, the Student Government's What Matters to U discussion series has engaged students in diverse and educational conversations on a range of topics with a star-studded lineup of leaders, activists, and change-makers, including soccer star Megan Rapinoe, comedian Ken Jeong, and most recently, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Pitbull.
Thursday’s discussion will focus on Penn’s experiences, and it be moderated by Geethika Kataru, a senior studying political science and motion pictures, and Sumita Chatterjee, a lecturer in the Department of History and Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.
“I look forward to hearing from him about the challenges of making it in the world of cinema, which until recently had very limited and stereotypical roles for people of color. I am deeply interested in civic and political engagement and also want to hear his experiences of working in the White House,” Chatterjee said.
Tickets are required to attend the event and are available free on a first-come, first-served basis for undergraduate, graduate, medical, and law students. Get tickets.
Visit the Student Government website for more information on What Matters to U.
