Ondra E.

About Ondra E.

Ce’Ondra Ellison is a 3L at Yale Law School (YLS) from Greensboro, NC. She attended Duke University as a QuestBridge Scholar and graduated magna cum laude in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology and African and African American Studies, along with a certificate in Human Rights. While at Duke, she explored the social construction of race and the social and psychological impacts of systemic racism. Her exceptional scholarship and involvement were recognized through several awards, including the Faculty Scholars Award, the Duke Cornerstone Award, and the John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence. During her study abroad at the University of Oxford, she focused on refugee migration. After graduation, she applied that knowledge in her work with Immigration Legal Services and Refugee Resettlement at World Relief Durham as a PathWays Fellow.At YLS, Ce’Ondra serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal of Law and Liberation, Chair of Tax@YLS, a Community Representative for YLS Admissions, a mentor for the YLS Launchpad Scholars Program, and a Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she is an EMLI Fellow for the Economic Mobility Leadership Institute with the African American Mayors Association. Her previous leadership roles and experiences include serving as Co-President of the Yale Law and Business Society and Connecticut Sub-Regional Director for the Northeast Black Law Students Association. During her 1L year, she contributed to two projects on land remediation and prison abolition for the Yale Civil Rights Project and helped plan Yale BLSA’s Community Service Civil Rights Trip to Georgia and Alabama.Ce’Ondra is passionate about tax law, policy, and affordable housing development. Her legal research and clinical experiences focus on addressing wealth disparities and advancing economic justice. She has served as a student attorney in three clinics: the Ludwig Center for Community and Economic Development, Medical-Legal Partnerships, and Housing Connecticut: Developing Healthy and Sustainable Neighborhoods. Additionally, during 1L, Ce’Ondra was an Afro Law Scholar, JD Advising Scholar, and Pipeline to Practice Fellow; in 2L, she was selected as a mentee for the Baker McKenzie & NBLSA Tax Mentor Program.Ce’Ondra is very passionate about building community and helping low-income and/or first-generation students thrive in the legal profession. In her free time, she enjoys singing, dancing, traveling, and trying new recipes.

Experience

1. Economic Mobility Leadership Institute Fellow

   African American Mayors Association

   Oct 2024 — Present · WA, US

Education

• Yale Law School

  Doctor of Law - JD

  2022 — 2025

• University of Oxford

  Public Policy

  2018 — 2018

• Duke University

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Psychology & African and African American Studies; Human Rights Certificate