#PolicyProfile: “I grew up in Bogart, Georgia, in a working-class community just a few miles from the University of Georgia. That proximity meant I witnessed starkly different realities side by side. Our county has one of the highest rates of income inequality for its size, and seeing how disparities in access to education, health care, and jobs shaped people’s long-term outcomes was formative. As a first-generation American with family roots in Egypt, I also saw how barriers to basic needs — whether in Georgia or abroad — can undermine opportunity. Those experiences sparked my commitment to addressing inequities and expanding access to the economic foundations people need to thrive. As a student at UGA, I worked as a legislative director for Georgia State House Representative Spencer Frye during the COVID-19 pandemic, working alongside a student-led team to craft responsive state policies — helping think through everything from mobile clinics to creative community outreach under unpre...