Meet Ryan

Ryan is a Midwesterner at Heart. A kid born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago that feels the American Dream is still out there. For all of us.

Born and raised in the American Dream...

I was born in Des Plaines, raised in Hoffman Estates, and currently live in South Barrington. My parents immigrated here from India in the 1990s, my mom worked the night shift at the Post Office for more than 20 years and my dad took classes at DePaul, while working full-time to become a software engineer. To put it simply, I can't think of a better example of the American Dream than the story of my family.

Involved in our Community...

I graduated from Barrington High School, where I spent most of my time as a Varsity Wrestler and volunteering at Holy Family Catholic Church as a 5th Grade Sunday School teacher. Congressman Krishnamoorthi and Senator Durbin chose to nominate me with my applications to the U.S. Air Force and Naval Academies. Over the summers and during the school year, I worked as a

• Lifeguard at Hoffman-Estates Park District

• Mechanic at the Route 62 Auto Shop on Algonquin Rd

• Server at the Lucky Monk near AMC

• Kindergarten/Preschool Teacher at Crème De Le Crème

Working through College...

I spent the next years at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, waking up at 6 a.m. for morning workouts as an ROTC cadet, leading a Research Journal as Editor-in-Chief, and paying for school by working as a Resident Advisor. With a lot of hardwork and many sleepless nights, I graduated in two years, as a sophomore, in the top 3% of my class, all in the middle of a Global Pandemic.

To working overseas...

I went overseas with the Fulbright Program, working as a High-School English Teacher in Salzburg Austria. But aside from rounding up a classroom of teenage boys, I learned how a country and a system with progressive policies actually worked. Things like universal healthcare, robust education, and a dynamic transportation system. Practical solutions I'm ready to take back to Capitol Hill.

From Policy to Practice...

I came back home for graduate school at The University of Chicago, earning a Masters in International Politics. I conducted research on Jan 6th, was a Graduate Fellow at World Business Chicago focusing on Technology and Innovation, Taught a course on Counterterrorism and wrote my Graduate Thesis on the Rule of Law.

U.S. Dept. of Justice...

I moved to D.C. as part of the Presidential Management Fellows Program, where I began work at the Justice Dept.'s National Security Division - Counterterrorism Section. It was my job to prevent and respond to Domestic and International Terrorist attacks - I hold a Top Secret Clearance and my office was responsible for prosecuting the January 6th insurrectionists, the Abbey Gate terrorist attack in Afghanistan, and numerous School Shootings across the country.

Consider this my Resignation...

I always wanted to pursue a career in public service. This nation gave so much to me and my family that it was an honor to serve, and when I got to the Justice Dept. I was proud of the work I was doing.

But over time, I saw things I couldn’t ignore: career professionals pushed out, due process disregarded, and political influence creeping into places it doesn’t belong. I tried to convince myself that staying inside the system was the best way to help fix it. But at some point, I had to ask whether staying silent made me part of the problem.

I resigned because I decided it wasn't worth staying silent anymore. I'm running for congress because I think it's time for people with integrity to step up - and that we need more people in Washington who will defend the rule of law, not bend it.