THE ATTAINABLE FUTURE

An interview with a woman in power.

"Empowered women empower women."

When I found out Michelle Heravi was assigned as my mentor for the Pre-Law Transfer Society, I was thrilled. I had set my eyes on her from the get-go because not only was she extremely accomplished, but also that our shared set of experiences made my endeavors seem more graspable. Specifically, we're both transfer students from community colleges now at UCLA, Persian women who are sociology majors and aspiring law students, and forces who are not afraid to assert dominance through their feminine power.

It was only fitting that I asked her for an interview to get a glimpse of an attainable future and share it so others in my position can indulge in some foresight:

Q1. What made you decide to take the LSAT right away instead of taking a gap year?

Michelle Heravi: A gap year is such an important personal choice because it is a huge determinant of what the next few years of your life will look like. Personally, I felt that a gap year would do me a greater disservice than good. Firstly, gap years are a great opportunity to gain work experience, especially in the legal field to decide if law school is the right decision for you. I worked at an attorney service company for 3 years, and my time at the company only reinforced my passion for law. I did not feel the need to explore other avenues because I was excited and ready for law school since my freshman year of college. Second, I find it easier to stay motivated in school if I don’t have a large break from it; ultimately, I knew that after a gap year, it would be very hard for me to get back into the "school/study mode". For these reasons, I decided against a gap year and aim to start law school in the Fall!

Q2. What has been the most challenging thing about your journey thus far and what would you warn to refrain from?

M: I would say that my greatest challenge was initially navigating through this process without any guidance and at such a fast pace. I graduated high school in June of 2018 and started community college a week later. By October of that same year (2018), I was reapplying as a transfer to UCLA from having enough high school AP credits to skip a year of college. In the fall of 2019, I started at UCLA and by January of 2020, I was studying for my LSAT. I finally took my LSAT in the summer and immediately began the application process. Throughout all of this, I was also juggling school, my internship, my own company, and PLTS. To say that I was busy is an understatement. It was overwhelming, stressful, and I oftentimes felt lost navigating through the many deadlines, registration portals, application websites, receiving letters of recommendation, and such. For this reason, when I became President of PLTS, I wanted to use my experience as a tool to help other transfers and pre-law students through this journey. I feel like this process should be an exciting time in someone’s life, and my mission as president and mentor at PLTS was to help my mentees and members enjoy the adventure.

Most importantly, I do not say any of this to scare you; rather, I want my experiences to serve as a platform and resource to help others. My biggest goal is to prepare you, my other mentees, and the PLTS members for this process so that it is as stress-free as possible. If I could offer any advice, I would say the following: never compare your path to anyone else’s; move at a pace that you are comfortable with; and take advantage of the resources at your disposal. I am proud of my journey thus far and the advantages that it has gifted me, and I hope that both my successes and challenges continue to serve as an asset in helping those who follow in my footsteps.

Q3. You are an extremely successful person: you have your own jewelry brand, you are the president of PLTS, you have maintained excellent grades while managing to take the LSAT and do well enough to apply to top-tier law schools. What advice would you give someone who would like to follow in your footsteps?

M: First off, thank you for your kind words; I am grateful to be interviewed by you!

I briefly listed some valuable advice in my response to the previous question, but I would be happy to expand upon them. It is important to start with a disclaimer: while I have achieved many things in my 21 years, it did not come without its challenges. I hope that my transparency regarding some of the obstacles I encountered along the way will help anyone who wants to follow in my footsteps.

The most significant piece of advice I can offer to any pre-law student is to not compare their journey to anyone else’s path. I wish I could say this enough times that every single person actually listens. Law school is a challenge, and it is crucial that anyone who strives for law school is ready for it. And getting ready for law school is a different journey in itself for everyone. No two applicants will have the same story, experiences, or reason for going to law school. Essentially, no two applications will ever be the same! Some people need 1 month to study for the LSAT, while others need more than 1 year. Some people write their personal statement in one sitting, while others add 1-2 sentences at each milestone of their life. There is no formula, and that is the beauty in the applicant pool of law schools. What matters most is that you are proud of what you score and what you submit to law schools; because as long as you try your best, you will not have any regrets.

My second piece of advice is to take advantage of the resources and opportunities that are available! One of the best things about applying to law school is the lack of pre-requisites; this grants freedoms to explore all of your passions and interests, even if they are not related to law. With that being said, I do advise at least some exposure to law school and the legal field — whether it be through a club, internship, seminar, etc. The most important thing to showcase in your application is that you are engaged and involved in all your endeavors!

Q4. How do you manage to stay positive enough to continue realistically maintaining your goals and dreams enough to make them a reality?

M: Having a balance between every aspect of my life is crucial to my positivity and happiness. I love spending time with my family and friends, I never view my quality time with them as a loss of hours I could have spent studying. I also love to exercise, and so I schedule an hour of my mornings for just that. I believe that in order to stay positive and motivated about what you want to do, especially something as challenging as pre-law, it is essential that you make an effort to be mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy! Essentially, self-care is key!

In full transparency, I have a tendency to be very hard on myself and it is something I work on improving every day. I think the key to overcoming this challenge has always been giving my best effort in everything I do; this way, I avoid feeling regretful and doubtful of myself. Personally, I hold myself to a high standard, but I also hold myself accountable for the times that I am not giving my 100% best effort. At the end of the day, I try to take things day by day and focus on the present. I know that my dreams will not come true in a day or even a year, so I view every endeavor as a chance to learn, grow, and celebrate my successes along the way!

Q5. What is one unexpected recommendation you have?

M: I’ve covered my main pieces of advice in the answer above, but if there is one recommendation I give to those who ask is to not go on Reddit for advice! I have never had a positive experience from reading Reddit chains; I find that it just adds extra stress, worry, and is a constant stream of comparing yourself to others. Some people use the platform as an informative site or for many great purposes; but, in regards to the LSAT, law school application, and anything pre-law related, Reddit has never been a positive resource throughout my experiences. Do the best that you can do, and know that whatever happens is always meant to be!

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I am fortunate enough to have two other mentors — one finishing up Stanford Law School and another a law professor at UCI — who are astonishing, but the fact that Michelle and I are closer in age made for an additional aspect of comfort and sincerity. Through my short time getting to know her, I have come to find that Michelle is so much more than her accomplishments; her guidance has allowed my short-term goals to seem more in-grasp.

I have no doubts in my mind about the heights that Michelle will reach and I am honored to appreciate and share the specific discipline, attitude, and grit it takes to get there. I firmly believe in the saying, "You are who you surround yourself with" so, I thrive through surrounding myself with other successful people because it is in their drive that I am able to continue my motivation.

Anyways, I think that's enough thinking, so that's all — for now.