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According to Monte Turner 27, “The world needs change, starting with you.” Turner has brought his message to School hallways, where his carefully designed t-shirts, sweatshirts, and beanies are a common sight.

An 11th grader at the School, Turner has a drive that extends far beyond the classroom. He founded ChangeYou, a Boston-based clothing business and lifestyle brand that is centered on self-growth. Alongside this entrepreneurship, he is an active member of the Student Senate, is a fan-favorite DJ at school events, and co-leads the Sports Analytics Club. 

Turner’s journey with his company began with discipline. Launching ChangeYou taught him lessons that went far beyond design and marketing. 

“[It’s amazing] seeing your hard work pay off and seeing the hours that you put in start to show their results because of your discipline,” Turner said. 

ChangeYou is deeply personal. For Turner, the brand represents resilience and growth that is shaped by his own real-life experience. 

“ChangeYou is a testimony as to what you’ve been through. It will spread to everybody else who’s either going through something or just needs to see the message,” Turner said. 

That message, “The world needs change, starting with you,” is intentionally universal and something people can connect with. Turner hopes it will help to bring people together despite their differences.  

“Coming from Roxbury, there’s a lot of violence and things of that nature and you want more for yourself, you want people to come together and not make everything about politics, about race, about age, about who’s smarter than who. You want everybody to just treat everybody as a human.” Turner said. 

Beyond his business, Turner brings energy and creativity to this school as a DJ, helping bring students together for events such as the semi-formal. His work in the Student Senate as a class representative further reflects his desire to leave a positive mark on this community. 

Turner founded the Sports Analytics Club, along with Caleb Bess ’27, for students with a shared interest in fantasy athletics and analytics.

“As I become a senior, I wanted to make a lasting impression and be remembered as a good guy who contributed to the community. Not only for recognition, but just to make other people’s lives easier and better and bring other people’s ideas into the space of the school,” Turner said.  

Through entrepreneurship, music, and leadership, Turner has built something meaningful for himself and his community. His work reflects his commitment to unity, discipline, and change, proving that you don’t have to wait for adulthood to make an impact.

For Turner, change starts now, and it starts with you.