Sloan Williams Capstone 2025

Over the past year, my capstone project evolved significantly—from the original plan of building an electric guitar and learning to play it, to focusing solely on building the guitar. I chose this project to challenge myself in electrical engineering while also pushing creativity. Throughout the process, I made sure to incorporate our school’s core values: integrity in decision-making, extensive research into guitar design and construction, endless collaboration with my mentor, regular reflection to guide my progress, and a forthcoming presentation. One of my biggest challenges was attempting to design the guitar body in CAD software, since I struggle with that skill. After months of failed attempts, I pivoted to purchasing affordable parts online, only to find out they didn’t fit together. With just weeks remaining, I scrambled to find parts that worked. Despite setbacks, I devoted around 90 hours to researching, designing, and building the guitar, with tremendous help from my mentor. I’m proud that I was able to complete the project and learned valuable lessons about time management, adaptability, and my own limitations. Beyond the technical skills, the capstone experience also brought me closer to my classmates and teachers.