Elly graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Biology with a certificate in Underwater Resource Management from Indiana University Bloomington and has since worked in a variety of coral conservation roles, most recently in Micronesia. She is now a master's student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, contributing to the development of the Large-Area Imaging (LAI) Network, a project dedicated to improving access to image-based mapping technologies and fostering a global community focused coral reef monitoring, management, and restoration.