Student Entertainment Events Presents: An Evening with Kal Penn

Actor, producer and civil activist Kal Penn will visit the University of Maryland for Student Entertainment Event’s annual Spring Lecture. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 in the Grand Ballroom of Stamp Student Union. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. This event is free of charge and open to the public. Access is granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Called "the world's most famous Indian actor" by New York Magazine, Kal Penn is a rising star in Hollywood. The actor is best known for his roles as Dr. Lawrence Kutner in hit Fox series “House,” and the infamous Kumar Patel from the “Harold & Kumar” film series. The Democrat is also making a name for himself in Washington. In addition to his impressive on-screen resume; Penn dedicates his time and skills to serving the public via his political interests.

What sets Penn apart is his off-screen eloquence, his passion for the intersection of pop culture, politics and race—and the fact that he stopped his career midstream to work full time for the White House. In 2009, Penn took a brief hiatus from acting to pursue a full-time position with the Obama administration serving as an Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement.

Penn notes that working for the White House has helped him appreciate the “complexity” of the political process, and that he “actually left the White House feeling more inspired than when [he] got there.” He has since spent time juggling both his acting career and political influence, interspersing residencies at the White House with filming new movies and TV series, including a guest role on CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother” in 2011. Currently, Penn has resumed his role with the White House.