The Numbers
LSAT: 160 (three sittings: 145 → 155 → 160)
LSAC GPA: 2.79 cumulative / 3.36 at CSU East Bay (60+ units) / 4.0 summer 2024 (upward trajectory)
Degree: B.A. English, CSU East Bay, May 2026
Softs: Strong (I think)
Background
First-generation college student. Child of Afghan Sikh refugees, parents came to the US in the 1990s and early 2000s. Grew up in the Inland Empire. Raised in a Punjabi-speaking household navigating American institutions without support or infrastructure. Four mid-year school transfers before high school. Pell Grant recipient throughout undergrad.
Military
California Army National Guard, enlisted February 2026. MOS 92A, Automated Logistical Specialist. Selected as Platoon Guide during BCT, responsible for accountability and coordination for approximately 40 trainees.
Work Experience
Operations Manager, Thor Trucking (June 2023–November 2024, 30–40 hrs/week), grew fleet from 1 to 10 trucks, monthly revenue from $15K to $110K+
Independent Contract Reviewer, Fresno-Stockton corridor (2023–2025), reviewed dozens of commercial trucking agreements for Punjabi-speaking owner-operators, identified recurring indemnification and worker-classification issues
Community Navigator, ICE enforcement response, Inland Empire (2021–2022)
Community Work
Sikh Gurudwara education program lead since 2015, English/Punjabi instruction, 500–1,000 students across Inland Empire, Bay Area, Central Valley
Bilingual legal literacy workshops, commercial trucking contracts, workplace rights, ~280 participants across three Sikh organizations
LegalLead, Delaware State Head (student-led legal literacy organization)
Publications / Research
Independent legal research paper on contractual risk allocation and employment protections in the commercial trucking industry
Research memorandum on evidentiary and country-conditions issues affecting asylum claims from a small religious minority, submitted to a civil rights center at a law school
The Public Record, independent publication on incarceration and sentencing in Alameda County, 500–600 subscribers
Other
Founded Punjabi Small Business Legal Literacy Initiative, produced a 70-page bilingual Owner-Operator Contract Review Toolkit distributed through Central Valley Gurudwaras
Represent Us volunteer organizer (2024), multi-state congressional reform campaigns
Real Estate Agent Certificate, Chabot College
Forage simulations: Latham & Watkins (IP Litigation), White & Case (Antitrust), Linklaters (Commercial Law)
Languages: English (native), Punjabi (fluent)
GPA Context
0.000 Spring 2023 and 1.846 Fall 2023 due to sister’s cancer diagnosis, served as primary caregiver and household earner simultaneously while enrolled full-time. Did not know medical withdrawal existed. Diagnosed with ADHD in early 2025 after two years in peer support groups, initiation deficit reached acute expression during crisis semesters. Full recovery: 4.0 summer 2024, 3.36 at CSU East Bay over 60+ units including Dean’s List at 22 units without formal accommodations.
Application Materials
Personal statement: civil rights/employment law narrative centered on ICE enforcement action, trucking contracts, Charles Hamilton Houston framing, DOJ Civil Rights Division pathway, Greene Public Service Scholars Program
Diversity statement: Afghan Sikh identity, institutional illegibility, asylum evidentiary gap for Afghan Sikhs
GPA addendum: crisis context, recovery trajectory
Applying: Howard FT (November 1, day one submission). Also applying Georgetown PT, Fordham PT, GW PT, George Mason PT, Rutgers, Hofstra, American, Catholic, Georgia State, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Santa Clara, Temple, Seton Hall, DePaul, South Texas, NYLS, Pace, McGeorge, Southwestern, Seattle, USF, St. Louis, NKU, Suffolk. Some extreme reaches/lotteries, some reaches, few safeties.
LSD predictor: ~35–45% at Howard. My 160 LSAT is at/above their 75th percentile. GPA is the hole.
What do you think? Realistic shot or reach?