What do you call a guy with a stellar GPA, a Taekwondo black belt, and a passion for playing the trombone? You call him David Taft-Farren.

The 17-year-old senior at Arlington High School has an unlimited love for music. He has been playing the trombone in the school's Jazz Band this past year, waking up extra early for morning practice at 7 a.m., Monday through Friday. David has also been practicing with the school's orchestra for Arlington High School's play, "Bye Bye Birdie," set to begin this November.

Outside of school, he enjoys playing the guitar and bass guitar for his church, Falcon Ridge Fellowship in Silvana.

"I love how many different sounds you can get out of each instrument," said the young musician. "It's a lot of fun figuring out rhythm and sounds."

In addition to his dedication to music, David maintains a strong 3.8 GPA by staying on top of homework. To challenge himself academically, he has been on the HI-Q Team and Knowledge Bowl for the past two years.

As if that wasn't enough for one young man to accomplish, David has also been playing on the school's tennis team for the past four years, three of those at the varsity level. In 2006, David earned a black belt in Taekwondo, but gave up the physical sport last year to focus on school and other commitments.

David has been looking into a broad range of schools to attend after graduation. Sunny California, urban New York, or the local University of Washington are some of his top picks. After building a remote control car in tenth grade, David found his passion for building high-tech models, and plans to major in electrical engineering.

"I've always enjoyed putting stuff together and figuring out how all the components work together," said David.

That problem-solver mentality works well in music, in engineering, and in life.