Gevin Reynolds is a 2L at Yale Law School. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Gevin graduated from Harvard in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in neurobiology. After college, he worked for the National Football League before his appointment to the Biden-Harris Administration in 2021. From 2021 to 2023, Gevin held a variety of roles at the White House, including Special Advisor to the National Cyber Director and Associate Director of Speechwriting to Vice President Kamala Harris. Since leaving the White House, Gevin has become a frequent opinion contributor to The Root, writing about political issues relevant to the Black community. In addition to his work for The Root, Gevin has published opinion pieces in a variety of outlets including USA Today, The Hill, CNN, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, and The New York Daily News. He is a frequent guest on local, national, and international television and radio programs, including CNN International Newsroom and Roland Martin Unfiltered.
Mariko Lewis is a 2L at Yale Law School from Richmond, Virginia. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021, she returned to her home state to become the Housing Policy Analyst for New Virginia Majority. Last summer, she worked in the Housing and Civil Enforcement section of the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ and completed a touchback with Covington & Burling LLP. Passionate about housing and advancing the livelihoods of marginalized communities, at Yale Law School Mariko has joined the housing clinic and is on the board of the Black Law Students Association and the First Generation Professionals.
Jake Reagan is a 2L at Yale Law School. A native of Boulder, Colorado, Jake is interested in pursuing a career in public service, with a focus on reducing poverty and improving the economic conditions facing working families in the United States. A Truman Scholar, Jake received his BA in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Colorado Boulder. In 2022, he graduated from the University of Oxford, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics as a Rhodes Scholar. Prior to attending law school, Jake served as the Political Director on the re-election campaign of Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand and worked as a Policy Fellow with the Colorado Forum.
Eli Sabin is a 2L at Yale Law School. A lifelong New Haven resident, Eli represents Ward 7 on the New Haven Board of Alders and works part-time as the Legislative Coordinator at Connecticut Voices for Children, a statewide nonprofit advocacy organization. His focus at the law school and in his work in local and state government is to advocate for more investment and opportunity for working and middle-class families in New Haven and across Connecticut. Eli graduated from Yale University in 2022 as a political science major. At the law school, he is a 1L Representative for the American Constitution Society and an editor for the Yale Law & Policy Review.
Dylan is a 2L at Yale Law School from Atlanta, Georgia, focusing on advancing voting rights and fair housing through government enforcement and impact litigation. At Yale Law, he is involved in the Housing Clinic. He has also served as a regional fellow with J Street, an intern with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and a legal intern at the Brennan Center for Justice. He is a graduate of Princeton University with a degree in Public and International Affairs.
Colin is a 2L at Yale interested in legal academia and public service. His primary interests are in constitutional law, legal philosophy, and addressing economic and institutional inequalities. Before law school, Colin worked as a researcher in Princeton's economics department and graduated from the University of Florida with degrees in Economics and Mathematics. In his free time he plays basically any sport with the word ball in it (not pickleball), loves playing board games, and has time for any discussion relating to fantasy or science fiction.
Cyrus Khandalavala is a 2L at Yale Law School. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, earned his B.A. in international relations and comparative literature from the University of Southern California. He then taught middle school science in the Mississippi Delta and served as a counselor in Brooklyn, New York for first-generation and low-income college applicants. In law school, Cyrus focuses on the governance of public schools and the broader domestic policy issues that affect educational outcomes.
James Kunhardt is a 2L at Yale Law School from Weston, Connecticut. He studied pre-med and economics at Brown University before working at the Brookings Institution as a Senior Research Assistant in the Center on Regulation and Markets. James previously volunteered for Biden for President in 2020 as a member of their Policy Correspondence Team and has canvassed for progressive causes, including reproductive justice. At Yale, James is an Editor on the Yale Law Journal and Scholarship Chair of the Yale Health and Law Policy Society.
Raymond is a 2L at Yale Law School interested in the law of fundamental rights (free speech, education, etc.). Raymond was president of the College Democrats of Maryland and the Johns Hopkins Democrats, where he represented student voices in lobbying for the passage of the Student and Military Voter Empowerment Act. At Yale, Raymond is a Knight Law and Media Scholar, where he works to defend media freedom and information access. This summer, Raymond will intern as a clerk at the European Court of Human Rights. Outside of law, Raymond loves language learning and foreign politics - he briefly lived in Indonesia before coming to Yale.
Catherine ("Catey") Vera is a 2L at Yale Law School and one of the VPs of Membership for YLDems. She spent the past summer interning at both the European Court of Human Rights and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California. Catey is interested in international law and human rights, and previously completed a fellowship with the United Nations' Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and the UC Berkeley School of Law's Human Rights Center. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in cognitive science from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was the University Medalist. In her spare time, she enjoys learning languages and practicing ballet.
Henry Wu is a 3L at Yale Law School. At YLS, he is involved with the Yale Law Journal, the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, and serves as the Teaching Fellow for the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy. Henry grew up in Maryland, Wisconsin, and Ohio.
Christian Aviles is currently a 2L at Yale Law School. Originally from Los Angeles, Christian has called New Haven his home for the last eight years. Before starting law school, Christian worked at a Yale-based afterschool program that helps low-income and first-generation college-bound students from New Haven public schools. Eager to return to school and explore his interest in the law, Christian applied to and joined the inaugural cohort of Access to Law School, a YLS program that is designed to mentor New Haven area residents as they navigate the law school application process. With the support of the Access Program, Christian started his law school journey at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he became the top-ranked student in his class and received the William F. Starr First Year Award. Excited to further explore his growing interests in constitutional law, administrative law, and clinical work, Christian decided to apply to YLS as a transfer student, and he was delighted to receive a call from Dean Ingber notifying him of his acceptance earlier this summer.
At YLS, Christian immediately embraced the diverse opportunities the school offered. Christian is currently a Symposium Editor on the Yale Journal on Regulation; a Community Representative for the Admissions Office; a volunteer for the Temporary Restraining Order Project; a mentor in the Access to Law School Program; a Community Development Co-Chair for the First Generation Professionals; a member of the Yale Law Democrats, and a Research Assistant to Professor Jason Parkin. Christian is also grateful to join YLS as a Hurst Horizon Scholar.
Christian is a proud graduate of Amherst College, where he was a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholar.
Elizabeth Bailey is a 1L at Yale Law School from Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to starting law school, Elizabeth worked as a federal government consultant in Washington, D.C., where she supported USAID global health and economic development projects in Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and other countries around the world. At law school, Elizabeth is involved with the Thurman Arnold Antitrust Project, the Yale Journals on Regulation and International Law, and a medical-legal partnership. Elizabeth graduated from Princeton University in 2021 with a degree in History. In her free time, she loves cooking, playing pickleball, and reading (non-textbooks).
Tiger Bjornlund is a 1L from Bethesda, Maryland. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 2024 with a B.A. in Government and Data Analysis. He is passionate about environmental protection and democracy reform and has interned with nonprofits focused on each in addition to publishing research on state elections. He has also worked on federal, state, and local political campaigns. At Yale, he is involved with the Yale Environmental Law Association and is an editor for the Yale Journal on Regulation.
Drew Jones is a 1L at Yale Law School from Los Angeles, California. After graduating from UCLA with degrees in English and African American Studies, she taught middle and high school English in Los Angeles Unified School District. She completed her M.Ed. in 2024, and her past research focused on the school-to-prison pipeline and restorative justice in public schools. At YLS, Drew is also a 1L Representative for the American Constitution Society, involved in the Capital Assistance and Civil Rights Projects and a Lead Editor on Yale Law and Policy Review.
Uma Menon is a 1L at Yale Law School from Winter Park, FL. She graduated from Princeton University in 2024, where she studied Public and International Affairs. She was a Voter Protection Fellow for the Florida Democratic Party during the 2024 election cycle and has previously interned in the U.S. Department of State and the International Trade Administration. Her writing has appeared in many publications, including The Washington Post, The Progressive, and Rewire News.
Maria Michalos is a current 1L at YLS. Maria comes to law school with extensive experience in politics, government and environmental advocacy. Most recently, she served as White House Associate Communications Director, where she primarily oversaw and led the public affairs strategy for President Biden’s environmental, climate and artificial intelligence initiatives. Prior to joining the White House, she served as the top public affairs official at the Environmental Protection Agency. Previously, she was Senior Manager for Executive Communications at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Maria got her start in politics working for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Maria earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from New York University. She also holds a master’s degree from Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, where she specialized in urban development and sustainability. In addition to serving on the board of YLDems, Maria is a lead editor on the Yale Journal on Regulation and is a member of the Civil Rights Projects, conducting research for the National Council of Incarcerated Women and Girls.
Ilani Nurick is a former Boatswain's Mate in the U.S. Coast Guard, serving in Cape Charles, Virginia. Before enlisting, Ilani served as a Legislative Advisor to Washington State Representative John Lovick, conducting policy and legislative research. He also has experience working in political campaigns, having worked on Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign and for the Washington House Democratic Campaign Committee. Ilani holds a B.A. in History from the University of Washington and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin.
Edward Prein is a 1L at Yale Law School. He grew up in Indianapolis and attended the University of Notre Dame, where he studied economics and philosophy. After college, he spent two years teaching middle school math in Indianapolis.
Mitchell Zufelt is a 1L from Cedar City, Utah. Having grown up amidst the Beehive State's red rocks and even redder politics, he is a firm believer that red-state-Democrats are some of the toughest out there. Prior to law school, Mitchell studied economics and math at Southern Utah University and spent two years doing re-entry work on the west side of Chicago.
