Sanjyot Dunung is a pragmatic workhorse who has spent her life rolling up her sleeves and collaborating with people from all backgrounds to solve tough problems. 

Sanjyot grew up in Des Plaines, where she learned the values of community, citizenship, service, and deep pride in the promise that is America. Sanjyot is a proud mom of three sons and part of a patriotic military family.  

Though Sanjyot was born in India, she was made in America. Arriving when she was six years old, her family lived with friends until her parents had earned enough for their own apartment. 

Inspired by her parents’ strong work ethic, Sanjyot began babysitting at the age of nine. By ten, she had started her first “business” caring for toddlers on Sunday mornings. Her experiences volunteering and helping local families in her community profoundly shaped her outlook on life.

During her college years at Northwestern University, Sanjyot’s work ethic continued with a daily paper route, tying her even closer to the community.  

In adulthood, as a single mom raising three boys and owning a small business while taking care of an aging father and a mother with muscular dystrophy, Sanjyot credits her extended community for sustaining her and helping her family thrive. 

As a successful entrepreneur and small business owner, Sanjyot has made a career out of building things, innovating, and navigating economic cycles.  

Her life was Made in America. This campaign was Made in America. It could not have happened anywhere else. Now, Sanjyot is committed to making sure that the same American dream is alive and well now, and for the generations to come   

Sanjyot is motivated to run now because of her frustration with the lack of common sense problem-solving in our government.  

Rather than recklessly cutting the critical programs our families depend on, Sanjyot believes we should reimagine how government can function more effectively to meet the needs of its people dynamically and efficiently for the 21st century. 

How do we achieve that? By leaning on the things that have always made America great:  freedom, opportunity…and each other. By innovating and getting rid of the policies and practices that no longer work for us. By thinking anew and not being afraid to listen and work with anyone, regardless of party, to get it done for America. 

Sanjyot is not a career politician. She’s a proven, innovative, award-winning entrepreneur and EdTech small business founder dedicated to expanding learning opportunities for all.

Throughout her career, Sanjyot has challenged outdated assumptions, developed new solutions, and managed businesses through transformational change, serving as a business champion and creating jobs.

Leveraging her intuitive and in-depth knowledge as a social scientist with a teacher’s mindset, Sanjyot truly understands the connections between business, global affairs, cultures, technology, and education—and how these impact people, communities, businesses, and countries.

She has worked tirelessly to empower small businesses and recommend commonsense regulations to harness growth and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Small Business Association, the largest nonpartisan national business advocacy. She served on President Biden’s Foreign Policy Working Group focused on international trade, helping to shape policy to boost small business exports and strengthen our economy.

Sanjyot’s global expertise has led her to advocate for ways for small businesses to increase exports and champion America as the partner of choice for countries around the world – ensuring alignment with our allies and maintaining a check on our adversaries.      

Serving on the Board of Directors for the Truman Center for National Policy and the American Leadership Project, Sanjyot is passionate about championing America’s economic well-being while driving impactful policy changes and supporting sensible global leadership. A believer of principled, efficient soft diplomacy, she served as a member of the Board of Directors for UNICEF USA.

Sanjyot knows how to get things done and will deliver for Illinois in Congress. She will be a workhorse for the people of the Eighth District; actively working to introduce commonsense policies that will help create a brighter future for all Americans—a future where daily life is more affordable, safer, and healthier. A future built on a foundation of freedom, mutual respect, fairness, shared values, and investments in long-term opportunities and needs of our community.