Meet The candidate: Amanda Zahorak (AZ for Short)

I’m Amanda Zahorak, your Democratic candidate for State Representative, raised in the 48th District of IL and a proud product of the DuPage County public school system.

Ever since I could remember, people were always 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, going on to work for two large Advertising Agencies where I immediately felt a gap in my 9-5 and wanting to make an impact in my community. During that time, I nurtured 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 was accepted into Northwestern University’s Master’s of Public Policy and Administration Program and began my studies while starting a career in nonprofit leadership at DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat for Humanity. There, I focussed my time on advocacy communications where I worked with all forms of government on increasing access to safe and affordable housing for vulnerable communities such as veterans, working class families, single parent households, and more.

Through that experience, I learned how to listen to the community in order to build nonpartisan solutions ensuring nobody was left behind.

I look forward to bringing the same passion and commitment to Springfield as State Representative for the district that built me - the Mighty IL48.