Bonney Lake grad Chris Friant designs t-shirt for Autism Speaks

Drawing from his personal experience, a Bonney Lake High School graduate designed this year's Team Microsoft t-shirt for the annual Autism Speaks fundraising walk.

Drawing from his personal experience, a Bonney Lake High School graduate designed this year’s Team Microsoft t-shirt for the annual Autism Speaks fundraising walk.

Chris Friant, a 2011 BLHS graduate and son of a Microsoft employee created the design for the shirt based on his lifelong experience with autism.

According to a press release from Microsoft, Friant is a “high-functioning autistic child” and is aware of his “puzzling” abilities. He knows that he is different from other kids and the people he surrounds himself with in life help him put the puzzle of his life together one piece at a time.

In the design, a child is embracing a puzzle piece, one of the symbols of autism awareness. The child is also wearing a backpack with a peace sign on it.

According to the release, the design is based on Firant personal reflections of his life experiences.

Friant won an award from Microsoft for his design. The design will also going to be placed on a shirt for “X-Box.”

The 2011 Walk Now for Autism Speaks was Sept. 17. Team Microsoft raised more than $5.5 million during the event.