UC Davis alumni pursue social change through medicine and law

UC Davis alumni Julian Garcia ’21 and Kush Narang ’25 chose different paths to public service — one through law, the other through medicine. This year, those paths led to a shared distinction: selection to the 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholars cohort and recognition as UC Davis's first scholars in the program's nine-year history.

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program funds up to three years of graduate study at Stanford University and develops future leaders across a range of academic disciplines. Garcia and Narang are among 87 scholars selected from approximately 9,200 applicants worldwide. UC Davis was also one of only two public universities with multiple scholars selected this year.

Garcia, of Tulare, California, graduated UC Davis in 2021, earned degrees in political science and sociology, and will pursue a law degree at Stanford Law School. Narang, of Santa Clara, California, graduated UC Davis in 2025, earned a degree in computational human biology and will pursue a medical degree at Stanford School of Medicine. Both start their studies at Stanford this fall.

A legal path to immigration reform

Garcia's interest in public service took shape at UC Davis and continued through five years of work in Congress. He served as a legislative staffer for U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., before he joined the office of U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif., as a senior policy advisor in 2023. There, he works on issues that affect immigrant communities like his own. These include efforts to hold the government accountable for racially profiling Latinos in immigration enforcement and help safeguard the sensitive data of immigrant families.

Garcia hopes to build on that experience at Stanford Law School and deepen his understanding of how laws affect disadvantaged communities. His plans to use his law degree to advance immigration reform and address issues around social and economic injustice. 

Stanford became Garcia's top choice because of its collaborative culture and emphasis on practical experience. He said the environment reminds him of UC Davis, where professors encouraged curiosity, mentorship and the exchange of ideas. 

“I hope to gain a new perspective and a new lens,” Garcia said. “This is one of those crazy opportunities that will change my life.”

Future of trauma care

Narang's interest in medicine grew through a combination of research and emergency response. During his time at UC Davis, he created his own major in computational human biology and conducted research in the Yarov-Yarovoy Lab, where he explored ways to use artificial intelligence in protein design. Outside the classroom, he worked as an emergency medical technician with the UC Davis Fire Department and later as a first responder in Santa Clara County. 

Those experiences shaped his interest in trauma care and the challenges that injured people face. Narang plans to become a trauma surgeon-scientist at Stanford School of Medicine and develop new tools that improve outcomes for children with serious injuries. 

“I want to come up with innovations that allow us to improve survival and quality of life for people who are severely injured,” Narang said. “I hope to lead the conversation and help the world think about injury the same way we think about heart disease, cancer or diabetes.”