Indian American Nabeela Syed, scripts history, youngest to join Illinois General Assembly

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Indian American Nabeela Syed, 23, scripted history by becoming the youngest member to get elected to the Illinois General Assembly. In the recently held US midterm elections, Syed vanquished her Republican opponent, Chris Bos. She received 52.3% votes in the election for the 51st District in the Illinois State House of Representatives.

Her excitement was quite evident in the tweet that followed her victory: “My name is Nabeela Syed. I’m a 23-year-old Muslim, Indian-American woman. We just flipped a Republican-held suburban district. And in January, I’ll be the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly.”

As a native of Palatine, Illinois, Nabeela promises to be an advocate for the issues most important to us, including healthcare, education, taxes, and equal rights. She has been an active voice for her community, especially those who are underserved and underrepresented in government institutions. Most recently, she served as the Campaign Manager for current Township High School District 211 School Board Member Tim Mc Gowan — a campaign that emphasized the values of accountability, community, and equity in schools.

From knocking on doors to help elect Democrats in Schaumburg and Palatine to organizing Asian American voters to flip Senate seats in Georgia, Nabeela has advanced progressive causes on both a local and national scale.

Professionally, Nabeela has worked with a variety of organizations, including EMILY’s List, to raise money to elect Democrats to Congress. Currently, Nabeela works for a non-profit in digital strategy supporting a variety of civic engagement efforts including voter mobilization, ending sexual assault on college campuses, and promoting gender equity.

Nabeela has been engaged in her community, serving as a mentor for youth as a high school debate coach. She is also active in her religious community at the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs and is a strong advocate for promoting interfaith dialogue and empowering young Muslim women to lead.

Nabeela graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Political Science and Business Administration, where she served as the president of a pro-bono consulting organization assisting local businesses and nonprofits.

After her victory, she posted on Instagram: “When I announced for State Representative, I made it a mission to genuinely engage in conversation with people – to give them a reason to get involved in our democracy and hope for better leadership that represents their values.”

“We won this race because we engaged in that conversation. We talked to seniors about the rising cost of prescription drugs. We talked to working families about the growing burden of property taxes. We talked to women, pledging that I would protect their right to reproductive healthcare. We spoke with parents about their desire to strengthen common-sense gun safety laws,” she added.

“We won this race because the people of the 51st District want a representative who is ready to fight for them and their families. I knocked on every door in this district. Tomorrow, I start knocking on them again to thank them for placing their trust in me. I’m ready to get to work,” Syed said.

 

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