Irena Petryk is a student, education volunteer, and graduate of a District 219 school.
Raised by an immigrant mother who constantly reminded her of the value of education, Irena made sure to take advantage of the resources offered to her as a Niles West student. She represented the Niles Township community on the state level as the assistant principal cellist of the Illinois Honors All-State Orchestra, as well as on the international stage at Mock Trial and DECA competitions — placing top ten in the world for both.
Irena currently studies at Northwestern University, majoring in economics and international studies with a minor in political science.
Irena works as a Corps Member at Jumpstart, a non-profit organization focusing on bridging the kindergarten readiness gap. Corps members teach language, literacy, and social-emotional skills to children through supplemental instruction in low-income preschools.
Irena has volunteered with Expanding Lives for the past three years. Expanding Lives is a non-profit organization founded by Niles West French teacher Leslie Natzke. The charity promotes women’s education in West Africa by hosting leadership conferences for first-generation high school students from Benin and Niger. She taught entrepreneurship workshops at the conferences and developed an entrepreneurship curriculum that conference participants could employ when teaching younger girls in their communities. The curriculum is expected to reach 700 girls within the next ten years. She also organized the 2019 Battle of the Junior Highs at Niles West and raised over $2,500 for girl's education, which was divided between a donation for Expanding Lives and two scholarships for Niles West students who were the first in their family to attend college. Currently, Irena serves on the charity's associate board.
As a member of Northwestern’s Students Consulting for Non-Profit Organizations, Irena is currently working on a consulting project with the Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange, which solicits donations of surplus materials, equipment, and supplies for Chicago teachers.
Irena is running for this Board of Education with a focus on promoting equity, adaptability, and accountability in our local schools. She is part of the Progressive Slate for District 219 along with District 219 parent Kathleen Weiss Boyle and Chicago Public School teacher Elana Jacobs. For more information, please visit her website at https://www.voteforirena.com.