Morgan and his family own the Shoreline Restaurant on the banks of Wasilla Lake in Alaska's Matinuska-Susitna Valley. Morgan, the restaurant's chef, was the first student to graduate from Mat-Su Alternative School. Now 29, Morgan graduated in 1988, when the school was in its inaugural year. Back then the school was housed in half of a portable classroom behind Wasilla High School and had just five students.

The school has moved onto bigger and better surroundings, but it hasn't forgotten its roots. A gold plaque hanging over the door to the men's bathroom at Mat-Su bears the name Shawn Morgan and reads "He helped acquire this building for MSAS."

Morgan dropped out of the mainstream high school when he was only three credits short of graduating. For Morgan, even that seemed like too much. He says he was working a lot, and partying a lot, and not taking advantage of his education. "I didn't have my priorities straight," he says.

When Morgan got his act together, he decided he needed to graduate. Going back to the public school after dropping out was not appealing, so Morgan decided to try the alternative school. "There you could just go and finish your credits," he says.

Morgan, who started working in restaurants years ago, has long had a goal of buying a restaurant of his own. He attended the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, and his family bought the Shoreline last September. "We've outgrown this place already," Morgan says. "We've been jamming. We have a full house most days, and we are packed on the weekends."

Morgan says his time at Mat-Su, however brief, taught him two crucial things: responsibility and respect. He says principal Peter Burchell motivates his students. "I probably wouldn't have gone to college without talking to him. I went back years after I graduated to talk about college with him, whether I could go," Morgan says. "I guess he pulled something out of me."

Morgan remembers calling Burchell while he was at culinary school, especially during holidays or other lonely times. "What I've learned from him is basically that it all comes down to you. You're the one who's got to make decisions in your life," Morgan says.

A pan of demi-glaze simmers on the stove behind him, and he pauses to stir it. Morgan's time at Mat-Su was brief, but he was at the school long enough to develop a relationship with Burchell. Judging from the stories of Mat-Su students—both past and present—that's enough to change your life.