Atour Toma Sargon, () also referred to as Atour Sargon, () is an Assyrian American activist. She is the first ethnic Assyrian to be elected to the Lincolnwood Board of Trustees and the first Assyrian woman elected to a political office in Illinois. Early life and education Sargon is a first generation Assyrian American. She grew up in Chicago before moving to Lincolnwood with her family at the age of 15. She first attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in Chicago, then transferred to Niles West High School. She earned a B.A. in political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. After graduating college, she worked as a legal assistant for a law firm in Chicago. She eventually married and had two children. She also went back to school, earning a M.A in public policy and administration at Northwestern University. Afterwards, she became the first vice president of Lincolnwood School District 74 Parent Teachers Association. Career Election Sargon's early interest in political activism first came from her parents, who she said volunteered to the local Assyrian community despite also working many hours. She has also cited her grandmother as an early source of inspiration. She briefly put her political ambitions aside due to her job, motherhood, and first vice presidency of the Lincolnwood PTA. In 2017, she was mentored by Illinois Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), who encouraged her to return to politics. She later stated that, despite her political educational background, she had not considered running for office until she met Schakowsky and heard the story of how Schakowsky had entered politics due to her concerns about unsafe practices in the food industry. She was also encouraged to enter politics by Illinois State Senator Ram Villivalam, whose successful campaign she'd previously volunteered with. Schakowsky also encouraged Sargon to attend training at the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership Training Academy, a program that encourages women to pursue political positions. She completed training with the program in 2019. In 2019, she ran for a position on Lincolnwood's six-member Board of Trustees on the Alliance for Lincolnwood ticket. The other candidates on the ticket were Craig Klatzco and Jesal Patel. She and the other Alliance for Lincolnwood candidates were endorsed by the American Middle East Voters Alliance. On April 2, 2019, she was elected to the Board. Upon being sworn in on May 7 of that year, she became the first Assyrian to