Qualifications
I'm Bundev Sawhney (pronounced like bun-dave saw-knee)! I was born and raised in the Chicago area, but my parents always exposed me to my father's South Asian culture and a wide array of additional global influences. I started nerding out on geography textbooks around age 6, around the same time when my parents gave me little choice in starting to learn Spanish. My memorization of world capitals eventually evolved into studies of global political economy, and my bilingual skills set me up for a desire to learn even more languages, naturally with a strong eye towards comparative analysis. Rampant curiosity and a desire for genuine improvements to society continue to drive my learning and educating journeys.
After the first 22 years of my life in Evanston, I moved to the north side of Chicago in 2022 and have since become involved with various local community projects. Outside of work and studies, you'll probably find me soaking up the sun in a park, bicycling around town and/or checking out hole in the wall ethnic food joints.
Education
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Sep 2017 - Jun 2021
B.A. in Political Science,
Minor in Sociology
Institute for Study Abroad
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jul 2019 - Dec 2019
Semester of Spanish-medium Political Science and History courses
Post-Grad Work History
Academic Tutor,
Nurturing Wisdom
Chicago, IL (Hybrid, part-time)
Jul 2023-
Teaching students ranging from ages 10 to 18 with various subjects including Chicago high school entrance exams, Spanish and French languages, and advanced mathematics. Strong record of grade/test score improvement and satisfaction from students and parents alike.
Intensive Case Manager, Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago
Chicago, IL, 60659
Oct 2023-Mar 2025
Holistic social work for recently arrived refugees facing unique vulnerabilities, particularly in the realm of specialist medical care. Administrating and teaching important needs such as appointment scheduling, pre-operative plans of care, navigation of needs-based external services, and general orientation regarding clients' new environment. Everyday usage of Spanish, French and Arabic languages for essential communications.
Digital Advertising Associate,
Yosemite Consulting
Chicago IL (Remote)
Jan 2022-Feb 2023
Executed digital media plans for political advertising campaigns across programmatic, social media and Google platforms. Created reporting dashboards and analysis for all assigned campaigns. Served as the primary communication liaison for adapting client needs during ~$1 million of midterm election spending.
Business Development Associate,
Yosemite Consulting
Chicago, IL (Remote)
Jun 2021-Jan 2022
Conducted lead research and competitive analysis in preparation for 2022 midterm election political advertising buy-ups. Crafted bespoke media plans for clients to align with diverse campaign strategies.
Languages
Spanish
Youth in Evanston, IL
-
Bilingual immersion program: Dewey Elementary School, 2004-2010
-
Spanish Heritage courses: Nichols Middle School, 2010-2013
-
Spanish 3-5 AP: Evanston Township High School, 2013-2017
Adulthood
-
Study abroad: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jul 2019-Dec 2019
-
Refugee intensive case management work: Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago, Oct 2023-Mar 2025
-
About 10 percent of direct case work with native speakers
-
Frequent additional information provision/interpretation for health services
-
-
Tutoring work: Various, Jan 2024-
-
Frequent travel to Latin America and everyday language usage in my neighborhood
Certification
-
Illinois Bilingual Transitional License obtained in Feb 2025
French
Self-taught since 2020 with a combination of apps, music, kids' books, formal guides and brainrot TV. Here's my formal experience with the language since I got myself to an advanced level:
-
Refugee intensive case management work: Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago, Oct 2023-Mar 2025
-
About 1/3 of direct case work with native or second language speakers
-
Regular additional client assistance across the organization
-
-
Tutoring work: Various, July 2023-
Certification
-
Illinois state proficiency certification obtained in June 2025 (perfect score!)
Portuguese
Self-taught since 2020 with a similar combination of tools as with my French learning journey. No professional experience with it, but I'm advanced enough to carry a group through travels in Brazil, and that's the true win with this lovely language.
Hindi/Urdu
An important language for my paternal half of the family, but largely self-taught in recent years as I didn't learn much of it growing up. Conversationally strong thanks to Bollywood movies, and literate in both Hindi and Urdu scripts thanks to some less entertaining study methods.
Arabic
Am I fluent? Nope! Sadly Arabic takes a few lifetimes for most non-natives to get highly advanced at - I use what I can, particularly for literacy, and I combine my knowledge with translation tools when necessary.
Youth
-
Various self-teaching
-
Arabic intensive summer program at Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon, Jun 2016-Aug 2016
Adulthood
-
2 years of Arabic courses at Northwestern University, Sep 2017-Jun 2019
-
Refugee intensive case management work: Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago, Oct 2023-Mar 2025
-
About 1/3 of direct case work with native or second language speakers, albeit with interpretation/translation for relatively complex matters
-
Some Other Things
Co-Director,
Shruti Box Studios
One of the founders of a South Asian-run music recording studio in Lakeview, Chicago. Current responsibilities revolve around business development and accounting.
Co-Director,
ArtNight Chicago
One of five team members who plan and host a once-monthly social event for wide-ranging performers to share their talents and passions. Primary roles in venue management and outreach.
Tour Guide,
Chicago for Chicagoans
Providing tours of Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood from local experience growing up with its institutions and more recent social work in the community.