Thomas Jefferson High School graduates Reid Mayfield, Russell Ison, Jason Allmaras, Eric Radford and Johnny Volland recently reunited to repeat a sixth-grade group photograph and to chat about their respective college experiences.

The five, who are all 2010 Thomas Jefferson graduates, are now 2014 college graduates. Their friendship goes back to the sixth grade, when they were teammates on the Kilo Middle School track team. After moving on to Thomas Jefferson High School and graduating together, they went their separate ways.

Mayfield attended the University of Washington, receiving a degree in Computer Engineering. He will begin working for Arista Networks of Santa Clara, California in September as a software engineer. While at the university, Mayfield was the chief videographer for the Husky football team, responsible for filming every practice and game.  He worked closely with Assistant Coach Dan Cozzetto and was given high marks for an outstanding performance in supporting the entire football program. Mayfield “loved working with the coaches” and was impressed with the complexity of the filming process and the entire football program.

Ison also attended the University of Washington, where he received a degree in Political Science with a minor in Law, Society and Justice. He plans to attend law school, and is currently studying for the LSAT. Ison was involved in the political world at the university, where he served as a senator in the Associated Students of the University of Washington. He was also politically active in the community, assisting with voter registration efforts.

Allmaras received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University, where he graduated summa cum laude. In September he will begin studying at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California where he hopes to earn master’s and doctorate degrees in Applied Physics. While at Yale, Allmaras was involved in robotics and aerospace, creating competitive “Sumobots.” He was also part of a group that did research in launching high-altitude weather balloons.

Radford attended the University of Redlands in Redlands, California. He graduated cum laude with a degree in Global Business. As part of his degree requirement, he traveled to Beijing, China, where he studied the Mandarin language. In June, Radford began working with Hewlett-Packard in Austin, Texas where he is part of an international projects team.

At Redlands, he was vice president of the Redlands Student Investment Fund, responsible for making investment decisions for the student portion of the university’s endowment fund. He was also a three-year starter for the men’s basketball team, earning second team All-League honors in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and earning first team All-Academic. He set a conference record for 3-point shooting percentage, and finished his career ranked 8th in the nation among all NCAA divisions for active career 3-point shooting percentage.

Volland attended Pacific Lutheran University, where he graduated with a degree in Biology. He plans to attend dental school, and is currently studying for the dental admission tests. Volland was a cornerback for the Lutes Football team all four years, and was involved with the university’s Academic Tutoring Program, providing mentoring and assistance to other college students.

Pictured left to right are Reid Mayfield, Russell Ison, Jason Allmaras, Eric Radford and Johnny Volland in sixth grade. Contributed photo