Interview with Senator
INTERVIEW TEAM: XANDER A., SAMANTHA R., JIA-LI R., JANA N.
Interview with Senator Ram Villivalam
When Senator Ram Villivalam visited our school, the Lincoln newspaper’s interview team got a chance to speak with him. Senator Ram Villavalam is on the Committee of Education for our state. He wanted to visit the school so he could see all his work and accomplishments. The Senator spent his morning in the office speaking with the principal, vice principal, and staff. He was then interviewed by the newspaper. He went to a Q&A session with social studies students. The senator even had a chance to visit the PreK students.
Q: How do you become a Senator/House Representative?
A: I Became a senator in 2019. I ran to improve our government, and I believe in representation. It was an opportunity for the Asian community to have representation.
Q: What did you do before you were elected?
A: I worked at a law firm, but it didn’t interest me. I hated my job and am much happier being a state senator despite its ups and downs.
Q: What’s your favorite part about being a senator?
A: I wanted to help and like being involved with schools and small communities. I like talking to folks and learning about their challenges and successes.
Q: Have you met the President?
A: Yes, I have. I met Biden when he was vice president in 2013, and I met Obama before he was president. I met him when he was Senator. I was there when he gave his famous speech. With Obama, I have never had a personal conversation with him before.
Q: What’s your favorite part about being a senator?
A: My favorite part about being a senator is meeting with people, outreach, and talking to new people. My job allowed me to know what to change. I also listen and try to fix what people's problems are with the community.`
Q: Are there any interesting or funny stories you can share with us about being a Congressman or Senator?
A: My friend from third grade worked for different states of Congress. He joined in 2017. My other friend became a State Senator the same year as me. We call ourselves the Three Musketeers.
Q: Are there people working on climate change? If yes, are you involved somehow?
A: There’s a lot of work done. We plan to move away from the idea of coal plants. Instead, we want to use solar and wind energy. We are continuing to fund tax credits for electric vehicles and build more charging stations. We are working on how to make school buses zero emissions, but it will cost a lot of money and take a lot of time.
Q: What does a normal day at work look like?
A: It probably starts by calling my wife and kids around 7:00 am. Then, I have a conference call at 8:00 am and have meetings from 9:00 am to 11:00 am with lobbyists and staffers and the policy staff committee. Hearings start at 11:00 am on the Senate floor for an hour and then more committee hearings in the afternoon from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm. From 1:00 pmp to 1:30 pm, I have caucus meetings. From 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, I have a few more meetings and reception from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm with superintendents to talk about issues with them. Then, I have dinner at 8:00 pm and go home around 10:00 pm.
Q: Did you like school growing up?
A: I did. I liked school a lot. Although I got some senioritis, I was eager to go to go to college. I had a great experience partially because I went to different schools on the north and south sides. Because of that, I was able to learn about different communities and become friends with people from different backgrounds. I really enjoyed math. Science was not my thing and am still working on it today. I played chess, joined math club, and played soccer.
Q: Do you have any advice for people who are thinking about becoming a senator?
A: Try as much as possible! Not many people think about joining the Illinois Senate. Before this, I worked at a law firm.
Q: What are some major problems in Skokie that you see as a focus?
A: 1) Definitely education is something every community and demographic cares about. All youth need to get quality education.
2) Caring for our elderly and people with disabilities and safety is also a priority. People want to feel safe as their child is going to school. They want to feel safe in the community.
Extra Information:
As we know, Barack Obama used to be a state senator. For insight, an Illinois Senator works on our education system and clubs, free lunch, etc.
He also stated that he is satisfied when he sees the change that he did in action all around the community.
FUN FACT: The Chief of Staff at the Senator’s office is a graduate of Lincoln.
FUN FACT: He now works where Obama used to work when he was a senator.