Callan Fox grew up in Dallas, Texas and decided to attend Alzar during the Spring of 2025, her junior year of high school, after having known about it for many years through summer camp. Prior to Alzar, she had developed a deep connection with the outdoors through whitewater kayaking, but at Alzar learned to enjoy hiking just as much. Additionally, she developed a passion for environmental science that led her to pursue that line of study in college. After coming back to Dallas from Alzar, she noticed how sad it is that Dallas lacks a developed outdoor community, as it is a large and industrialized city. While searching for something to do on a day off school, however, she came across the Oak Cliff Nature Preserve as a hiking spot. Upon visiting, she realized both how wonderful it was that there was a place like this in the area and how sad it is that it is not well taken care of.
When asked what she would change about Dallas in an interview, founder of skincare empire and Texas resident Renée Rouleau stated: “I would create more parks and trails for outdoor activity and enjoyment.”
“I cannot even imagine how different my life would be without the access that I have had to clean, outdoor spaces. I would be a whole new, unhappy person.” -Callan
Callan’s project did not go as it was first planned while at Alzar yet was able to maintain similar core values. Initially, she planned to gather a group of girls from her high school and introduce them kayaking through a roll clinic, calling it “Whitewater Women.” However, after looking at logistics and dates after a few months, she realized that this project would not be able to happen in the limited time that she had. On the other hand, this challenge caused her to look more outside the box on what could be a realistic yet still equally meaningful alternative to her. After going on the hike at the nature preserve and seeing both all of the trash and the invasive plants, she knew that she needed to pivot her project to what it is now. The extra time back at school has additionally opened new doors as to who she can work with, such as the Hockaday Environmental Board and Institute for Social Impact.
Due to the difficulties that she had with my CLP this semester, Callan have not been able to complete this project yet. However, she plans to host a morning hike and cleanup session during early March next semester to do so for about two hours. This will be for around ten to fifteen students from her school, Hockaday. She will gather trash bags, gloves, trowels, and a truck to carry out the trash and harmful plants. She will enlist the help of the Environmental Board and Institute for Social Impact to both generate interest for community service hours and educate fellow students on the environmental aspects of the project.
“Doing my CLP has been a great opportunity for me to learn resilience and how to handle unforeseen circumstances. I am so glad that instead of giving up on it, I was able to create a new yet similar project that could end up making a huge impact on people’s lives down the line.” -Callan
Callan hopes that this first project day is a major success and that it is able to be continued throughout other years following her graduation. Hopefully, her collaboration with the environmental board sparks interest in underclassmen to organize a similar event either at the Oak Cliff Nature Preserve or similar locations. As for Callan, she will be attending Davidson College and plans on studying Environmental Studies in addition to being an avid member of the outing club. Hopefully, her studies and new outdoor experiences will lead her to find new places that also need similar help in the western North Carolina area.
“I am so grateful that my school has a community of people with similar passions as myself to potentially continue what I started back in Idaho. I am hoping that my project will reach out to new people in new communities and ignite passion for both environmental recreation and stewardship.” – Callan