I was raised in the 48th District of IL and a proud product of the DuPage County public school system. As long as I can remember, people have been my passion, and I learned very young that I was called to serve. While a working student, I received my undergraduate degree from North Central College in Marketing, and worked for two large advertising agencies, where I immediately felt a gap in my 9 to 5.

I didn’t want to work for big corporations - I wanted to make an impact in my community. I started leaning in by nurturing my love for education and spent 5 years on the Board of Directors for GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago - a nonprofit for Down Syndrome Achievement.

When COVID-19 hit, it became abundantly clear that my calling to serve people as a full-time job was only getting stronger. I applied to Northwestern University’s Master’s of Public Policy and Administration program and began my studies while pivoting into a career in nonprofit leadership at DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat for Humanity. There, I focused my time on advocacy building out the advocacy arm of the organization. By 2023 I had completed my degree and was leading advocacy efforts where I partnered with all forms of government and local coalitions, to increase access to safe, affordable housing for vulnerable communities such as veterans, working-class families, single-parent households, and more.

I learned how to listen to the community in order to build nonpartisan solutions, ensuring nobody was left behind. It was there where I learned what I now know as truth: a rising tide lifts all boats. I now work in education equity and have witnessed how investing in our students and young people is what ensures that we leave the next generation better than we found it.

A deep care for all people and their stories - that’s who I am and what I’ll bring to our policy decisions in the Illinois Legislature.