Marco Cardenas – 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 as 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+ nations, he has also overseen negotiations and execution of contracts and projects in excess of $32B. 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 – 1997
After graduating as Valedictorian and ASB Vice 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 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 the University of California, San Francisco (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 – 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 CA 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: as the top student he delivered the 2002 graduation speech.
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. Dan 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 3 grandsons, Chase, Hudson and Jackson with a 4th grandson due in October.
Dr. Timothy Shokair – 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 – 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 nationally ranked him the number 56 cornerback. 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 thirteen games. His sophomore season he led the Cougars with 73 tackles including 5.5 for a loss, two pass break-ups and four interceptions and 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 broken-up passes 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.