Nikhil is a proud Chicagoan, educator, and father.  His inspiration begins with his parents, who moved from India to the United States so their children could have endless opportunities.  Nikhil’s parents rose from humble beginnings to become physicians through the power of education.  As an adult, Nikhil has dedicated his career to ensuring that students in under-resourced communities get the education they deserve to fulfill their dreams.

Nikhil has spent his entire career as an educator in urban communities, including 5 years as a middle school principal.  During the pandemic, he went back to school at night to get a masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, in order to study how we can tackle the systematic issues that oppress many of our communities.

Outside of work, Nikhil was elected to the local school council of his daughter’s fantastic CPS school, Galileo Scholastic Academy.  He is blessed to be married to his loving and patient wife, Alison, and to be a father to their two beautiful children.

Teaching and raising kids have given Nikhil a unique insight into the needs of students and families in Chicago.  While learning fractions is hard, they are a speed bump compared to the urgent problems our students face outside the classroom: a gun violence epidemic, staggering student debt, an economy tilted towards special interests, a warming planet, and a democracy in peril.  Nikhil is running for Congress because if we are going to provide a better future for our children, we can’t keep sending the same career politicians to Washington and hope for a different result. We need leaders who can relate to today’s challenges and have fresh ideas for creating a better tomorrow.  Nikhil is running because change can’t wait.

And if that sounds naively optimistic, just remember this: Nikhil is a Bears fan.  Nothing phases him.