Do what you want, however you want, as long as it makes you happy. That’s the idea behind Boho U.S., a clothing line started by TeShon Gardner, a rising junior at Jennings High School Academy of Engineering.
TeShon was always creative growing up, whether he was drawing or painting. Boho U.S., short for Bohemian, was born out of a desire to expand the possibilities of fashion without restrictions. Oftentimes, the term, ‘Bohemian’ comes with negative connotations of living an unconventional lifestyle. “I wanted to turn this into a positive and make Boho U.S. about living how you see fit. Peace, love, and prosperity is the company motto,” said TeShon. It took four years and several iterations before TeShon landed on this brand. “I wanted to have a brand with a meaning and a message. I want to change lives and inspire people to be their best selves. With Boho U.S., I feel like that is possible.”
At Jennings, TeShon is a member of a group called Men on Business. Through his group leader, he got connected to MANRRS, an organization, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, which aims to promote academic and professional advancement by empowering minorities in agriculture, natural resources, and related sciences. The group began a local junior MANRRS chapter at the school. Through MANRRS, TeShon hopes to be able to make valuable connections by attending conferences and networking with like-minded professionals.
When asked about how his NAF education plays into his career ambitions, he explained that engineering plays a big role, especially material engineering. TeShon is interested in studying fashion design at either Howard University in Washington, DC or Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, CA.
This summer, TeShon had the opportunity to be a part of the first-ever NAF Future Ready Lab in the St. Louis area, powered by Mastercard, KPMG, and World Wide Technology. It was his first job. He and his fellow interns had a month to create a campaign to promote cyber safety. “I learned that everyone has their own thoughts and ideas, so you have to meet on common ground on everything or the task won’t be completed. I learned to be versatile as well. Being able to be in a leadership position or a behind the scenes position,” said TeShon.
NAF’s Future Ready Lab is a new, innovative paid internship concept designed to scale the number of meaningful internship experiences available for more students to gain experience in a corporate setting and prepare for future careers. NAF’s Future Ready Lab provides high school students with an opportunity to put their education into practice in a unique work environment with support from a corporate partner. Through a multi-week experience, student interns complete a project of value on behalf of the corporate partner, participate in professional skill-building workshops, connect with professionals who serve as project mentors and learn about college life. “The NAF internship experience was amazing. I was able to strengthen skills I had already had and learn new skills such as using Microsoft Excel and how to present effectively. There were many amazing people I met who love their job and are very committed to their job. Every day we were meeting amazing people and having a fun time while also getting acclimated to the workplace,” said TeShon.
The business professionals TeShon met certainly had an impact on him. One told him, “Work somewhere that you will enjoy. If you work in HR when you love sales, you’re only going to be miserable. She reassured me that I have to follow my dreams. My dream job is to work for myself, and I can’t get there sitting around,” he said. With Boho U.S. off and running, NAF knows TeShon is well on his way to creating the future he envisions.