Blake Strode earned degrees in Spanish and economics at the University of Arkansas, where he was an All American tennis player for the Razorbacks.
12 Facts About Blake Strode
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Blake Strode was admitted into Harvard Law School in 2009, which he deferred for three years to pursue his career in tennis.
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Blake Strode interned at the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division's voting section.
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Blake Strode graduated in 2015, after several high-profile police brutality cases including the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
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Blake Strode was a Missouri high school state champion in tennis.
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Blake Strode won the Missouri Class 2 singles tournament in 2005 and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA singles championship in 2009, earning NCAA All-American status.
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Blake Strode was awarded the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Arthur Ashe award for leadership and sportsmanship.
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Blake Strode competed in the qualifying for the 2012 SAP Open, where he defeated Andre Begemann and Clayton Almeida before losing to Denis Kudla in the final qualifying round.
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However, due to number one seed Gael Monfils withdrawing with a knee injury, Blake Strode gained entry into the main draw where he lost in the second round.
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Blake Strode joined the nonprofit law firm ArchCity Defenders in 2015 as a Skadden Fellow leading a two-year housing project at the firm.
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Blake Strode was eventually elevated to lead the firm's litigation department.
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In January 2018 Blake Strode was named the new executive director of the firm at age 30.