Illinois

Nabeela Syed, a 23-year-old Indian American Muslim woman, has won the election for the 51st House district of the Illinois state legislature in United States.

“My name is Nabeela Syed. I’m a 23-year old Muslim, Indian-American woman. We just flipped a Republican-held suburban district,” she tweeted.

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.

— Nabeela Syed (@NabeelaforIL) November 9, 2022

"And in January, I’ll be the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly,” she added. Syed had won the Democratic primary and has now flipped a Republican district against incumbent Chris Bos.

Syed, who becomes the first South Asian in the Illinois state legislature, will also be the youngest member of the state assembly. Nabeela Syed promises to be an advocate for causes the community members hold dear to their hearts, such as equal rights, healthcare, education, and taxes.

According to her website, Syed is running “to build a better Illinois for residents today and tomorrow – an Illinois with a strong economy, sustainable infrastructure, and affordable healthcare, and higher education.”

According to the Maktoob Media she has graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Political Science and Business, Syed served as the president of a pro-bono consulting organisation that helped local businesses.

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Syed currently works for a non-profit, helping them in digital strategy and supporting a myriad of civic engagement initiatives, for example, mobilising voters, curbing sexual assault on college campuses, and enhancing gender equity, according to her official website.