Exeter Union High School senior, Deryk Garrett, found his knack for custom fabrication at a young age and grew his passion into a business long before earning his high school diploma.

Academically driven and mechanically talented, Garrett loves swimming, skim boarding, biking, surfing and welding but family says that there is more to the beach boy than meets the eye. Known by peers and educators as an outstanding young man who far exceeds every expectation set before him, Garrett's road to success began in his grandfather's shop before kindergarten.

As a toddler, Deryk proudly dismantled and re-built his mother's bathroom scale. At an early age, he spent countless hours in the shop with his grandfather, building benches, birdhouses, a pretend jailhouse and other unique gifts for family members. However it was a Christmas present for enrollment in a college class in 2002 that sparked his interest in metal fabrication and engineering.

As an eighth grader, Garrett was the youngest to enroll in a College of Sequoias welding class taught at the EUHS shop by educator, Dan Crookham, whose positive influence impacted Garrett's success throughout high school.

“Mr. Crookham helped me through the beginning of everything and from there, it just took off,” said Garrett. “I started when I was a freshman and have built a chopper every year of high school.”

Unlike motorcycles, Garrett Choppers are “bare-boned”, including only the necessary parts. Custom built and painted, the choppers are street legal and can exceed 100 m.p.h.

“What separates Deryk from the rest is that he is also academically successful and sees the big picture. Throughout the years, it has really set him apart,” said Crookham. “His motivation to do well in the shop is beyond the normal kid's.”

Garrett's business, Garrett Choppers, was born with the rev of an engine in August 2003 when Garrett fabricated and built a black motorcycle covered in chrome. As he added years to his high school career, including a job at Harley Davidson at age 17, Garrett's imagination and eye for quality design grew in great ways.

“I like creating custom bikes and turning raw metal into something that makes people look twice,” said Garrett. “I just finished my first full-size chopper and it took a lot more work because the fabrication was more precise and in depth.”

One of Garrett's choppers is on display at True Value Hardware in Lindsay, signed by Jesse James, the CEO and television star of West Coast Choppers. Other projects included a tribute chopper to Indian Larry, a world-class chopper legend that died on his motorcycle, and Garrett's latest full-size shovelhead chopper, painted school colors, blue and gold.

“Everybody that I've talked to has agreed that Deryk is very dependable and respectable,” said EUHS senior dean, Magdalena Vazquez. “We never have to worry about him because we know we can trust him.”

In addition to being awarded the Ruiz 4 Kids and Tulare County Office of Education Entrepreneur Scholarships, Garrett was awarded $40,000 scholarship from the McKelvey Foundation for successfully owning and operating a business while in high school.

The foundation will send Garrett to New York at the end of the month to attend a weeklong leadership conference. Garrett plans to put the scholarship to use this fall when he attends California State University, Northridge, where he will major in mechanical engineering.

Educators and family members agreed that Garrett is not only a successful business owner and student but is also a young man who sets the bar high as far as morals and courtesy is concerned and many said that the foundation built by his mother has helped him to succeed.

“I'm filled with pride because Deryk is a well-rounded and focused guy and I look forward to watching him enter the next chapter of his life at college but I will miss him,” said Garrett's mother, Robin. “He's well-liked by teachers and peers and he's just really cool.”

The 18-year-old business owner looks forward to earning his degree and opening Garrett Choppers on the West Coast but said that he could not have achieved so many things on his own.

“My mom is my hero. She has helped me through all of it,” said Garrett. “She's my moral support and listens to all my ideas.

“She's done a lot for me in high school and helped me get into college. She raised us alone when we were younger so I thank her for getting me this far.”

Family, friends and educators set their eyes on Garrett's future endeavors as they watched him ride off into the sunset.

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