Natalie Toro’s passion for public service comes from nearly 10 years of serving her community as an educator. After nearly a decade as a kindergarten and third grade teacher, Toro sought to serve as an elected official to develop policies addressing issues she saw her students impacted by, such as housing and food insecurity, insufficient funding for schools, and more. She is a lifelong resident of the 20^th District, living in Logan Square for a decade and earning her bachelor’s in education from Northeastern Illinois University. She is proud to be from a Puerto Rican family with deep roots in the community on the northwest side of Chicago, beginning when her grandfather moved from Puerto Rico to the city in the 1950s and helped found the Caballero de San Juan Credit Union. She and her parents are proud union members and CPS alumni. She looks forward to using her experience as an educator to advocate for early childhood investment, as well as violence prevention, affordable housing, and civil rights for marginalized communities.