Carolyn Davidson was a graphic design student at Portland State University when Phil Knight, who was then teaching accounting part-time, asked her to create a logo for his fledgling shoe company.
She billed the project at $2 per hour and received a total of $35 for her work. The design she produced would eventually become the iconic Nike swoosh.
Twelve years later, in 1983, Knight invited Davidson to a company event and surprised her with a special gift: a gold ring featuring the swoosh logo set with a diamond, along with an envelope containing 500 shares of Nike stock.
Over time, those shares grew in value and are now worth millions of dollars.