Nashra Mohammed
Nashra Mohammed is the youngest candidate for the school board. Her parents are from Hyd.
Nashra Mohammed is currently attending DePaul University where she is majoring in MIS and minoring in Community Service. She aspires to pursue a career in Law. She worked with the Democratic Party of Evanston in support of Laura Fine and Jan Schakowsky where she attended meetings, held phone banks, and gathered signatures in the area. Working with Laura Fine her senior year of high school heightened her passion for a push for quality education. Mohammed worked as an election judge her senior year where she became more interested in her community. Mohammed has been part of several charity organizations in hoping to make the world a better place. She worked with organizations such as Feed My Starving Children, The Chicago Coalition of the Homeless, and The Humanity Projects throughout her career. Over the course of the summer of 2020, Mohammed worked with Northwestern University to establish an efficient way to provide basic civic education and facilitate voter registration to first-year students and transferees at DePaul University. She saw that students were uniquely susceptible to a large number of barriers while voting and wanted to find a solution. Mohammed is also the recipient of the Community Service Scholarship at DePaul University and completes 90 service learning hours every year. In addition to running for the school board for the second time, Mohammed is currently the youngest board member for The Chicago Area Peace Action Organization, the founding member and President of IGNITE DePaul and she also serves on the Environmental Committee for the Village of Lincolnwood and the Dean Student Advisory Board at DePaul University. At the age of 20, Mohammed is full of enthusiasm to change the world.
This is what Nashra has to say and unveils her plans...
‘This year has proven the resiliency of American students. Despite challenges, we have persevered, adapted to new technology, and created new understandings of what it means to learn. Yet, this year has also exposed the implications of unequal access to safe and quality education. Far too many students have fallen behind, or worse, been left behind, due to factors outside of their control. Many of these students are here in our very own district, at our very own public schools.
Zip Codes should not govern educational outcomes and life pathways. However, for my fellow neighbors in District 74, our locale too often determines the quality of the education that is available. Being a former student at Chicago Public School and transferring to Niles West High School, I experienced just how unequal education can be. This is not fair.
Motivated by my desire to ameliorate these inequities and make meaningful changes in my community, at 18, I took the brave step to enter the race for School Board. I gained the support of 2,500 people in my township, despite running against more experienced and well-funded candidates. This year, I am running again with even more experience and drive.
My experience running for School Board has only furthered my belief that we need more diversity in our representation, especially at the local level. Getting my foot into the world of politics was both challenging and eye-opening. Being 18, I struggled to get other candidates to take me seriously. Being a woman, many people disparaged my decision to run for public office. I was told it was a man's job and that I could not do it. These people were wrong.
This unique moment in American history creates an opportunity for young people to design new and innovative approaches to the problems passed down by earlier generations. Young Americans, especially women, are essential to the conversation surrounding education, an issue that most directly impacts them. We deserve a representative voice and a seat at the table. If elected, I will provide more diversity on the board. Young women of color, like myself, will see that they too can and should run for local office.
My election to the School Board in District 74 will allow students to get the representation they deserve in decision-making that directly affects their lives. As a School Board member, I will ensure that no student is left behind and that special education is always prioritized. I will champion equal access to quality education for each and every family in my village. I will fight to rectify the learning loss experienced during COVID-19.
I am a community organizer, a sister and a student. I grew up in the Chicago Public School system. I was born here, raised here, and now my siblings are going through the same school system I went through. I know this district inside and out. The policies that I plan to achieve as your School Board member are not just words on a page, they are deeply personal for me. I will fight for you and your family as if you were my own when I am on the District 74 School Board.’
