As President Joe Biden delivers his second State of the Union Address Tuesday night, nearly a dozen honored guests from Illinois will be in the gallery watching.
All 535 United States Congressional members are allowed to bring a guest. Often, those guests are selected because they personify issues important to elected officials.
Ten honored guests from Illinois will join congressmen in the gallery, in person, for the first time in years following the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It’s really crazy," said high school sophomore, Kate Foley, who will join First Lady Jill Biden in her box with other distinguished guests.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Foley is studying integrated manufacturing at Rolling Meadows High School. She met Biden last fall, when the First Lady visited her high school.
"I met her in November once. For me, to have that big impression on her, and to realize, 'oh my gosh, she remembered me' is just kind of an unearthly feeling," said Foley.
Biden invited her as an example of how career-connected learning is helping Americans prepare for good-paying jobs. Foley hopes to one day become a biomedical engineer and is already taking classes to prepare for college in high school.
Local
Also fortunate enough to attend Tuesday night's event is April Redzik, the president and CEO of DuPage Pads.
"I’m super honored. I’m most looking forward to being able to represent our cause," said Redzik.
DuPage Pads is a client services center and nonprofit organization with a mission to end homelessness.
"You’ll see I’m wearing an orange flower. That’s our color," said Redzik who says she'll don the flower to keep clients close to her heart while she represents them in the gallery.
She got the call last week and said her first thought was something many moms can relate to.
"I made sure I had child care," she laughed. "Then I called my mom to tell her I was going to the State of the Union. I'm really honored to have this opportunity and I’m so, so excited to go out there today," said Reznik.
Diana Ordaz Quezada will also be there, as a guest of Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.
Quezada is a Passenger Service Assistant at Midway International Airport and supports Rep. Garcia's "Good Jobs for Good Airports Act."
"It will establish a living wage and benefits for all airport workers," said Quezada. "We believe this should be for everyone, every airport."
Quezada, a former DACA recipient, says she's most looking forward to hearing the president talk about immigration.
"We are part of this country. This is the only thing I know since I was 9. For me, this is my country as well. I have five children who were born here, who are US citizens. I think it's time for us, all of us to have a right," she said.
The president will likely address abortion access, which has been a hot button issue since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June.
To underscore her efforts in abortion access, Sen. Tammy Duckworth invited Dr. Erin King, the executive director and a physician at Hope Clinic.
The clinic in Granite City serves a majority of out-of-state patients where abortion is limited or restricted.
"It's amazing to be able to represent mostly, honestly, the patients," said Dr. King.
"We just went through an enormous public health crisis in this country with the pandemic. I think that we were used to dashboards and data and everyday information about public health in a crisis. We need to treat abortion access with that much attention," she said.
"I hope that [the president] does highlight and elevate the fact so many patients aren’t getting care."
Sen. Dick Durbin, co-chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, will host Chris Manson as his guest.
Manson is the founder of U.S. Ambulances for Ukraine and has helped deliver 28 ambulances and one fire engine overseas. His organization works with volunteers across the state to collect medical supplies, clothing and nonperishable food for Ukrainian people.
Manson says he's humbled by the invitation but hopes it shines a light on the need for more donations.
"I was very appreciative and thankful for that. I’m just one person working with a lot of people," he said.
"I'm looking forward to having the chance to maybe discuss what we’re doing with other elected officials, and honestly I’m looking forward to the message to continue to get out to people in Illinois and across the country," said Manson.
Several lawmakers did not respond to NBC 5's request. Here's a list of Illinois elected officials and their guests:
- Jonathan Jackson (D), 1st district - Dr. Rev. Grainger Browning, Jr. Senior Pastor of Ebenezer A.M.E. Church.
- Robin Kelly (D), 2nd district – Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance Holt
- Delia Ramirez (D), 3rd district – Boris Hernandez, husband
- Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D), 4th district -- Diana Ordaz Quezada, airport worker and labor organizer
- Michael Quigley (D), 5th district -- State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz
- Sean Casten (D), 6th district -- April Redzic, CEO and president of DuPage Pads
- Danny K. Davis (D), 7th district -- Lillian Drummond, 101-year-old founder of the South Austin Coalition Community Council (SACCC)
- Raja Krishnamoorthi (D), 8th district -- Rushan Abbas, founder and executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs
- Jan Schakowsky (D), 9th district -- Robert Creamer, husband
- Bill Foster (D), 11th district -- Michael Isaacson, executive director of the Kane County Health Department
- Nikki Budzinksi (D), 13th district -- Andrea Kelly of Decatur, Illinois, a graduate of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) pre-apprenticeship program
- Lauren Underwood, (D) 14th district – Cindy Mundell, retired ICU nurse
- Sen. Dick Durbin (D) – Chris Manson, vice president of government relations for OSF Healthcare in Peoria and founder of US Ambulances for Ukraine
- Sen. Tammy Duckworth – Dr. Erin King, Illinois Hope Clinic
