A Policy of Purpose

The third-year University of Georgia student grew up as the daughter of two physician parents in rural Georgia. She knew friends and neighbors who struggled to navigate the healthcare system.

“I have seen what it’s like from a patient’s perspective not to have access to healthcare,” she says.

Seeing those gaps in access and affordability at a young age shaped her desire to help make care more accessible and sustainable for those who need it most. Those experiences also sparked her resolve to help people through clinical care and health policy.

At UGA, Garg is majoring in genetics and economics. After graduating, she plans to get a medical degree while also earning a master’s in business or public policy.

But Garg’s passion for improving lives through policy is more than a far-off ambition. She actively spends her time at UGA trying to improve lives.

Laying the Groundwork for Support

Garg describes herself as a generalist with a curiosity for learning new topics. So as a student, she immerses herself in initiatives such as student government and local policy advocacy.

As a freshman, the opportunity to make changes took on a new focus as Garg became more aware of the importance of mental health support on campus. As a first-year senator in the Student Government Association, she proposed a simple idea: adding 988 and other emergency resource numbers to the back of UGA student ID cards.

“It’s just making people aware and giving people access to healthcare resources that they often need,” she says. “Sometimes people don’t look for healthcare. They don’t look for help until they need it most.”

Offering access to support on a piece of plastic most students use almost daily makes it that much easier to find.

Garg worked with campus administrators to ensure that new and replacement ID cards also included the updated crisis information.

Moving Beyond Campus Policy

Garg’s policy experience spans beyond campus.

She served as the co-executive director of the Arch Policy Institute, a student-led, nonpartisan think tank for the Athens-Clarke County community. Through projects focused on healthcare access, digital disparities, and other community issues, she experienced the challenges of navigating real-world policy.

“We shouldn’t come here only to have a great time and leave after graduation,” she says. “We try to leave an impact on the community we call home for four years.” 

In spring 2026, Garg interned at a Washington, D.C., think tank where she worked on healthcare finance systems and payment reform, a chance to strengthen the bridge she hopes to build between medicine and policy.

Garg believes that her college experience is defined by more than serious policy proposals and implementations.

Before outlining recommendations or meeting with university administrators, Garg might go to a coffee shop with friends, play tennis, or go thrifting. These everyday moments, from laughing over coffee to unwinding after a long day, reveal the easygoing, curious person behind the driven, policy-minded student leader.

But her UGA experiences—whether advocating for mental health resources or researching payment reform—have laid the groundwork for Garg’s approach to working with others. She enters each relationship and tackles policy with empathy and intention.

For Garg, meaningful change often begins with curiosity, compassion, and the willingness not only to ask a simple question but also to follow through.