When Chloee A. arrived in Dallas midway through middle school, she didn’t know a single classmate.
She had just lost her father, moved away from the city she’d always known, and was entering a new school system during the height of the pandemic.
But in each unfamiliar hallway, she carried the same perseverance that defined her years at James Madison High School.
“I can adapt to anything,” she said. “If you throw me in the sea, I’ll figure out how to float.”
Her story began in Houston, where much of her childhood was spent helping at home as her father battled a heart condition.
After his passing in 2019, her family relocated to Dallas, and she quickly learned to adapt, first to virtual classes at W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy, then to in-person learning under COVID-19 restrictions.
By her freshman year at Dr. L. G. Pinkston Sr. High School, Chloee was a multi-sport athlete, competing in basketball, volleyball, softball, and track and field.
When her family moved to South Dallas, she transferred to Madison, just in time for her biggest challenge yet.She was active in sports for more than a year on what doctors later discovered was a completely torn ACL.
The diagnosis meant surgery and months on crutches at a new campus where she knew only a few faces.
“I was shocked because I was looking forward to everything, and it really hurt me because I had just transferred,” she said.
Now a senior, Chloee returned to full strength, playing volleyball, basketball, softball, track and field, and golf.
On campus, her energy is unmistakable. At 5’10”, she’s easy to spot in the hallways, often leading a laugh or conversation.
After graduation, she hopes to earn a college volleyball scholarship, but her vision extends further.
“I want to own my own trucking company and be a businesswoman,” she said. “I look at life like an opportunity, and most people don’t see the opportunity that life just gives.
For Chloee, success isn’t about avoiding difficulty; it’s about finding her way through it.
Whether she’s balancing sports, classes, or helping her two younger sisters, she continues to carve a path rooted in independence, family, and forward motion.
“I just feel that the person I am is fit to be a boss, and it’s not purposely, it’s naturally,” she said. “I want to speak up for the people around me, because that’s what I did when I first got to Madison. I’m always the one people go to. I feel like I’d have the good voice and decision for others, especially coming from South Dallas, nobody really looks at us and gives us our props.”
At Madison, her story has become part of a growing legacy of students who rise to meet every challenge. And like many who came before her, Chloee’s strength doesn’t need announcement; it simply shows.
