FIGHTING FOR OUR CHILDREN IN ILLINOIS AGAINST A RICH 1 PERCENT CONGRESSMAN WHO IS 4 THE CORPORATIONS

Rachel was born in 1981 and raised in Joliet, Illinois, alongside her three siblings. With two working class parents, she grew up understanding the power of hard work and the value of unions. She proudly attended public school and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Benedictine University in 2002. Armed with a degree and a desire to see more of this great country, she moved to California where she began work as an actuary for health insurance companies. Here she saw firsthand how the American healthcare system had been warped to profit off the sick.

Disgusted by the injustices of the industry, Rachel left the healthcare field, and spent the next 10 years as a military spouse. This change granted Rachel more opportunities to explore work as well as travel the world and country. While living in Virginia, she earned a second degree in biology and started work as a veterinary assistant. In Georgia Rachel became a naturalist for Georgia State Parks where she learned about the destruction of over 87 million acres of Longleaf Pine Forests. She was infuriated to learn that less than 4% of the original forest remains today, and so Rachel’s passion for preservation was born. Shortly after her twin girls were born, the family moved to Washington State. There, she volunteered for numerous non-profit organizations, many of which focused on protecting the environment and providing access to healthy foods. She also worked as a substitute teacher.

Rachel later returned to Joliet with her daughters as a single mother where she secured a position at local gaming company, Legendary Games. In her free time, she volunteers for Joliet School District 86, Girl Scouts, Educarious, and is an active thespian at Will County Bicentennial Park. It was here in her hometown that she realized she wanted to do more to help her community. So, in 2018 she ran for the Will County Board. In this race, Rachel showed her willingness to engage with her constituents, as she knocked on 10,000 doors. And at every single door, she was prepared to listen to the real concerns of her community members.

As an elected county board member, Rachel helped to secure long-term clean water for the 800 families living in Fairmont. Due to her hard work and perseverance, Will County became the second county in Illinois to adopt the Greenest Region Compact. She continues to advocate for affordable housing, recovery homes, housing for the homeless, an end to systemic racism, and the creation of opportunities for jobs with livable wages.

No matter the job, city, or state, Rachel has always fought to make her community a better place. Equipped with years of knowledge, compassion, and an unrelentingly tough work ethic, she will continue to fight for the people as a congresswoman for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District.