Celina Villanueva is a Democratic State Senator representing Illinois' 12th District, which includes neighborhoods on Chicago's Southwest Side such as Little Village, Pilsen, Bridgeport, and Brighton Park. Born in Chicago to Mexican immigrant parents from Durango, Mexico, and raised in Little Village, she is a full-time legislator, community organizer, and avid reader committed to immigrant rights, voting access, and equity.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Graduated from Kenwood Academy; earned a B.A. in Latina/o Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008.
• Early Career: Worked as Civic & Youth Engagement Manager at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights , running the state's largest immigrant civic engagement program that registered over 200,000 new voters and advocated for online, same-day, and automatic voter registration.
• Political Career: Appointed to the Illinois House in 2018 , serving until 2020; elected to the State Senate in 2020 for the 12th District. In the House, led efforts for social equity in cannabis laws and directed 10% of cannabis tax revenue to mental health.

Notable Achievements and Positions

Villanueva has championed legislation on reproductive health access on college campuses, protections for domestic violence and crime survivors from deceptive tactics, financial aid eligibility for Illinois students, farmworker recognition, improved compensation for Direct Support Professionals, and reforms against predatory towing.