Quotes & Comments

It seemed like something I would enjoy doing. I figured it was something to do.
—Actor Kal Penn, on becoming an associate director for the Obama administration’s Office of Public Liaison

During the campaign, Kal Penn came to WMU’s campus to talk about why students should vote for Barack Obama. At the time, it looked like any other public figure using his or her status to try and sway voters.

It happens  every election cycle. Actors, athletes or celebutants throw what weight they have behind their candidate without taking much time to think what their endorsements mean. They may see it as the trendy thing to do, but as soon as they are not making news through their endorsements, they move on to their next project.

However, the news on Tuesday that Penn is going to take some time off from acting to work for the Obama administration is a breath of fresh air.

Penn has committed to working at least one year for the administration building relationships with the Asian-American community as well as relationships with actors.

He also seems to be doing it for the right reasons. He is not using this to gear up for a big movie role upon his return to acting, nor is he looking to get a lot of publicity out of the job. Rather, it really seems he is just trying to help where he can by recommitting himself to a life of service.

As college students, we may think that the most important thing is making as much money as we can.

Penn shows that there can be more than just earning a paycheck.

—Zachary Reichard
Managing Editor

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=5570

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Apr 7 2009. Filed under Opinion, Quotes & Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com