Before attending law school, she worked in San Salvador, El Salvador and Washington, D.C. as an advocate and grassroots organizer for human rights in Central America. Elly graduated summa cum laude from the Michigan State University College of Law in 2011. While at the Law College, Elly was the editor-in-chief of the Michigan State Law Review, and obtained a certificate in trial advocacy. Upon graduation, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable David W. McKeague of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She later joined the Grand Rapids, Michigan office of Warner Norcross & Judd as an associate in appellate litigation, where she litigated criminal and employment matters in state and federal courts.