From space to the NFL: Downey High to induct six trailblazing alumni into Hall of Fame

DOWNEY – Downey High School will host its Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in the Downey High Theater, honoring six alumni whose achievements span space diplomacy and national security, pediatric genomics and gene editing, public safety leadership, AI in media, professional football, and sustainable chemistry education.

Inductees will also be recognized that same evening at the annual Downey vs. Warren football game which will be played at the notable Dignity Health Sports Park. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. and general admission tickets are still available through AXS.

Colonel Marco Cardenas, Class of 1994

Colonel Marco Cardenas enlisted in the Air Force in 1994 after graduating from Downey High School and was commissioned an officer in 2002 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy with a B.S. in Business Management. He earned his M.A. in Diplomacy from Tufts University (2008), as well as his M.A. in European International Affairs (with distinction) from the Defense Language Institute and the Naval Postgraduate School (2010). In 2012 he simultaneously earned his MBA-International from the University of Madrid and his European Foreign Area Officer certification. He is currently the Director of International Affairs, United States Space Forces Europe & Africa, where he leads all Space bilateral and multinational activities across the two continents.

Colonel Cardenas’ Air Force Origin Specialty is Acquisitions Program Management, and his current specialty is a European Foreign Area Officer (FAO). In Acquisitions, Colonel Cardenas has directed multiple Foreign Military Sales programs and led numerous multinational cooperative initiatives including the Space & Missile Systems Center Deputy Chief Partnership Officer and Chief of European Space Partnerships. As an FAO, he has served at the Pentagon and NATO Joint Forces Command Headquarters. In addition to negotiating diplomatic and politically sensitive matters with 30 plus nations, he has also overseen negotiations and execution of contracts and projects in excess of $32 billion. Most recently, he served as the Chief of International Affairs for the United States Air Force in Europe and Africa, where he oversaw all multinational agreements and bilateral Security Cooperation initiatives in both continents.

Marco is fluent in English, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. He and his wife, Ania, have one son together, Tiago.

Dr. Petros Giannikopoulos, Class of 1997

After graduating as Valedictorian and ASB President of Downey High School in 1997, Dr. Giannikopoulos majored in Biochemistry at UCLA on a full academic scholarship. He earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed a pediatrics internship and anatomic pathology training at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He went on to pursue subspecialty fellowship training in pediatric pathology at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine as well as molecular genetic pathology at Harvard Medical School. As a molecular fellow, Dr. Giannikopoulos was also a member of the Broad Institute, a premier genomics research center, where he made significant contributions to understanding the genetic drivers of pediatric cancer.

Following his medical training, Dr. Giannikopoulos co-founded the global health technology startup Driver, a first-in-kind treatment marketplace that connected cancer patients around the world with cutting-edge clinical trials. He also co-founded Need, Inc., a healthcare technology company aimed at building a globally distributed virtual cancer center. He is currently the company’s Head of Science.

Today, Dr. Giannikopoulos is an Investigator at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at the University of California, Berkeley, and an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at UCSF. He directs the IGI’s clinical laboratory and DNA sequencing programs, working closely with fellow scientists and physicians at IGI and UCSF to accelerate the development of molecular therapies for patients with rare genetic diseases. Earlier this year, he was a key member of the team that developed the first-ever on-demand, personalized gene editing treatment for a child with a rare liver disorder. He is also deeply committed to education, teaching and mentoring undergraduate and medical students, residents, and fellows, and frequently lectures on the clinical translation of genomics and gene editing.

Petros’ accomplishments are astounding, but even more worthy of recognition is his deeply caring character. His dedication to medicine is fueled by his family’s personal journey with cancer, which has shaped him into the empathetically passionate doctor he is. He and his wife, Maria, reside in the Bay Area with their seven-year-old son, Apollo.

Dan Hurlock, Class of 1983

Dan Hurlock graduated from Downey High School in 1983 and entered Long Beach City College where he earned an AS degree in Industrial Electricity. He then transferred to California State University, Long Beach where he earned a BS in Business Management. After graduating from college, Dan worked as an electrical contractor for several years.

In 1997, Dan felt a calling that led him into the Fire Service. At that time, Dan entered the Rio Hondo Fire Academy and began his Fire Service career as an Auxiliary Firefighter for Santa Fe Springs; soon thereafter he joined the Downey Fire Department. Hurlock excelled in paramedic school, graduating as the top student where he was asked to deliver the 2002 graduation speech in recognition of this achievement. Over the next two decades, he rose through the ranks - firefighter, captain, battalion chief - ultimately being appointed fire chief in 2021.

During his tenure, Chief Hurlock led advancements within the department including construction of four new fire stations, expansion of emergency response systems, and implementation of fire safety initiatives in collaboration with Downey Unified School District. He oversaw the upgrade of the department’s Records Management and CAD systems, initiated a Tactical Emergency Medical Services program, and launched the Community Connect platform to enhance resident engagement. Dan Hurlock dedicated over 25 years of service as a fire professional before retiring as Downey Fire Chief in 2024.

Beyond his professional achievements, Hurlock has been an active member of the community, holding leadership positions as President of the Downey Police and Fire Foundation and Vice President of the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association. He has profoundly enhanced the safety and well-being of the city of Downey.

Hurlock has been married to his high school sweetheart, Kim, since 1988. Together they have two daughters, Heather, who is married to Brian and Haley, who is married to Garrett. Heather and Brian have given Dan and Kim three grandsons, Chase, Hudson and Jackson, with a fourth grandson due in October.

Dr. Timothy Shokair, Class of 2001

Timothy Shokair grew up in Southern California and enrolled at Downey High in 1998 as a sophomore graduating in 2001. He has earned multiple degrees in physics from both UC Berkeley (B.S., 2005) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.S.E., Ph.D.). For his Ph.D. he specialized in experimental neutrino physics and wrote a dissertation on a new analysis technique to increase the sensitivity to an ultra-rare particle interaction. In 2012, he returned to Berkeley and began a Nuclear Science and Security Fellowship in neutrino and dark matter physics. He split his time between fundamental searches for dark matter, specifically axions, and applied neutrino physics for national security. In 2015, he moved to Lawrence Livermore National Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in Computational Engineering and applied particle physics techniques for national security.

In 2016, reading the trends in industry he decided to apply his experience in big data, algorithm development, and analysis in the tech industry as a data scientist. As AI has boomed over the last several years, Tim has pushed to develop and apply AI to solve technology problems with a special focus on content (video, text, images). He has held leadership roles at CCCIS, Conde Nast, and NBCUniversal, where he is currently the VP of Recommendation Sciences. In this role he leads the development and application of AI models for content recommendations and next-best actions for users. He has been at the forefront of applying AI to create personalized experiences in media and will continue learning and applying the latest in big data-based developments.

Tim currently lives in Chicago with his wife, Allison, and daughter, Edith. Outside of work he enjoys physical activities such as cycling, tennis, and weightlifting. During warmer weather, Tim and his family spend as much time as they can soaking up the sun in preparation for the long Chicago winters.

Jalen Thompson, Class of 2016

Jalen Thompson grew up in southern California and enrolled in Downey High School his sophomore year, graduating in 2016. While at Downey High School he was a stellar athlete, earning All-San Gabriel Valley League and All-CIF honors multiple years. He played both offense and defense for the Vikings; his senior year he averaged 20.2 yards per reception and intercepted five passes. He was a member of the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s 2015 All-Area Dream Team, and ESPN, Rivals, and Scout rated him a three-star recruit.

ESPN.com also ranked him the No. 56 nationally among cornerbacks. He received multiple offers to play at the collegiate level including Army, Navy, San Diego State, and New Mexico State but eventually attended Washington State University.

Jalen was an ESPN All-American as a true freshman at Washington State: he recorded 51 tackles and a team-leading seven pass break-ups in 13 games. His sophomore season he led the Cougars with 73 tackles including 5.5 tackles for a loss, two pass break-ups and four interceptions. He also led the Pac-12 Conference with three fumble recoveries. He was named to the All-Pac-12 Second-Team and Associated Press First-Team. Jalen was on the Chuck Bednarik Award watchlist his junior season and recorded 67 tackles, eight interceptions, and eight pass break-ups, earning Honorable Mention Pac-12 honors. While at Washington State, he started all 39 games he played in and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Supplemental Draft.

Jalen has played for the Cardinals for all seven seasons that he has been in the NFL and is currently one of their starting safeties. During his career he has amassed almost 500 tackles, dozens of pass deflections, and multiple interceptions and fumble recoveries. More importantly, he has given back to his alma mater over the years by sponsoring multiple players and paying for the Downey Vikings 2022 CIF-SS Division 4 Championship rings.

Dr. Julie Hofstra Wahlman, Class of 2009

Julie Hofstra Wahlman attended Lewis Elementary and Sussman Middle School before graduating from Downey High School in 2009. At Downey, she was a dedicated student and athlete, participating in womens’ volleyball, water polo, and swimming. Inspired by her mother’s love for education - her mom worked as a librarian and instructional assistant at various elementary schools in Downey Unified - Julie knew she wanted a career where she could combine her love of science with curiosity, creativity, and teaching.

After high school, Julie studied at Cerritos College before transferring to California State University, Fullerton, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Chemistry in 2014. As an undergraduate, she began conducting research, including a summer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and quickly discovered her passion for scientific discovery. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 2019, focusing on developing new methods to build molecules using nickel catalysts. She then completed postdoctoral work at the University of Utah, where she used computational modeling and data science to better understand how chemical reactions work.

In 2022, Dr. Wahlman began her independent career as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University, Long Beach. She leads the Wahlman Laboratory, where she and her students design new, more environmentally friendly ways to make organic compounds, including molecules with potential medical applications. Her students recently developed a new laboratory synthesis of compounds found in nutmeg that have anti-inflammatory properties.

Dr. Wahlman has published her research in scientific journals and has received fellowships from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. In 2025, she received the Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) grant from the American Chemical Society to explore the use of iron as a sustainable catalyst. That same year, she also received the Mayfield Award for Outstanding Teaching at CSULB, an honor based on student nominations and votes, which highlights the strong impact she has made in the classroom. From her start in Downey Unified to her current role as a teacher, mentor, and scientist, Dr. Julie Hofstra Wahlman continues to demonstrate the power of curiosity, persistence, and a love of learning.