Honoring Black History: Alumnus Ponce D. Clay '15

Ponce D. Clay '15 

Ponce Clay '15 is a first-generation Detroiter and proud of his success in the city. “My family migrated from Delta, Mississippi to Detroit for a better education system. I didn’t take a traditional approach to my education though,” he explained. 

After graduating from Cass Technical High School, Clay served for 23 years in the U.S. Navy. He then enrolled in Morehouse College, a Historically Black College in Atlanta, before coming back to Detroit to pursue his law degree.  

The highlight of Clay’s Detroit Mercy Law education was completing one of the clinics. “It prepared me on how to actually practice law and meet the needs of my clients.”  

Clay also received his master's in business administration from Detroit Mercy in 2018. He now owns and operates his own firm, working across different areas of the law, including probate, juvenile defense, and real estate. He is on the board of the Association of Black Law Alumni at Detroit Mercy Law.