Behind district 25
Meet Karina
Meet your Illinois State Senator of the 25th District and everything she’s done to get here.
Born & Raised in West Chicago
Born and raised in West Chicago, Karina has been a lifelong resident of Illinois’ 25th Senate District. Raised by hard working immigrant parents, Karina was instilled, at a young age, about the importance of family, diligent work and compassion for others. Karina’s parents were small business owners within the community and working at their store gave her the opportunity to receive a first hand perspective on the hardships of being a small business owner as well as hearing the personal worries of the working class clients that shopped at the store.
After witnessing voices not heard and needs not met in both her community and as a school social worker, Karina decided to run for School Board District 33 where she became Vice President of the board, initiated innovative programs and started working to balance budgets. Karina’s first run for State Representative of the 49th was a success when she flipped a Republican seat and was able to help pass the Illinois Reproductive Health Act as an incoming freshman. Karina worked hard as a State Representative and continued to fight for the rights of Illinois residents.
In 2020, Karina ran a second impressive campaign flipping another historically Republican district and became the first female Democratic State Senator for the IL 25th district. Senator Villa worked hard to create a balanced budget for Illinois, was a loud voice for workers rights and protections during COVID, helping small businesses stay open. Senator Villa consistently advocates for healthcare and quality education for all. Along with passing tax freezes and evidence-based funding formula for education, Senator Villa is always eager to hear how she can help solve problems and better represent the 25th district in Springfield.
A Strong Voice
Throughout her career she has used her experience as an educator to foster communication and has always been committed to learning from those that may bring a different perspective to the table. Using this insight, she is able to reach across the aisle and find commonality with her colleagues. Karina takes satisfaction in having a strong voice in an effort to improve the lives of her constituents and all of those in the state of Illinois.