In the fall of 2002, Owen, a local high-school student, approached me for help on a project he was doing. As part of the Seattle public school district's graduation requirements, all seniors must complete a Senior Project whereby they research or create something and present their results to a panel of community members. For his project, Owen wanted to make a guitar.

I agreed to serve as his mentor on this process, and after a couple introductory planning sessions, I watched as Owen rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Over 150 hours later, a final product emerged. Owen's attention to detail and solid work ethic assured the high quality of the end result.