Milana Vayntrub Lecture on October 1

Actress and activist Milana Vayntrub will give a Mackin-Mailander lecture on Tuesday, October 1, on the campus of Clarke University. She will share her message of hope, opportunity, and global responsibility, while challenging audience members to make the world a better place. Her lecture is titled ‘Taking Responsibility: Putting Your Passion Into Action.’

Vayntrub will speak at 7:00 p.m. on October 1 in Jansen Music Hall on the campus of Clarke University. General admission tickets are $10 and are available by phone at (563) 588-6377. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the event.

The theme for Clarke University arts and lecture offerings throughout the 2019-2020 academic year is Do Something! The goal for these events is to inspire and motivate people to do. Find your passion. Pursue a goal with your whole heart. Help others. Get involved. Be engaged. Make a difference. Do Something!

“We are thrilled to welcome Milana Vayntrub to Clarke University. It is so important for people to realize the impact they can have just by getting involved with issues they care about. Milana is living proof that one person can make a difference,” said Michael Knock, chair of the Mackin-Mailander Lecture Series committee and Associate Professor of History.

Many will recognize Milana Vayntrub as saleswoman Lily Adams in AT&T’s popular series of commercials or as Sloane from This Is Us, but it is her compelling story a refugee and advocate for combatting the global refugee crisis that is truly capturing the world’s attention.

Vayntrub and her family fled religious persecution in Uzbekistan to make a home in America when she was just two years old. In 2016, she co-founded #CantDoNothing with entrepreneur Eron Zehavi. The grassroots organization was created to encourage others to give their time, money, and voice to assist refugees worldwide.

“It is important for us to emphasize not just the problem, but all the things we can do to end it,” says Vayntrub. “We hope everyone will post about #CantDoNothing on their social media, and challenge three friends to participate by tagging them. I really believe we all have the power to be influencers, to use our voice and create a ripple effect of good.”

Vayntrub has appeared on TV and the big screen, including on Showtime’s House of Lies and HBO’s Californication, and in Ghostbusters and Life Happens. She also plays the role of Squirrel Girl in the Marvel series New Warriors on Free Form.

In 2016, Vayntrub was named among the top 100 thinkers, makers, and doers in marketing and media by Adweek, which described her as a “creative force for good.”

The Mackin-Mailander Lecture Series was established through the generosity of two Clarke alumnae, Mary C. Mackin ’34 and Verna Slattery Mailander ’20.