Keely Aguilar, an Alcuin Junior and competitive distance runner, noticed something missing in Dallas: an indoor track facility that could actually host competition. No such thing existed — not for high school athletes, not for the four NCAA Division I programs in the area, and certainly not for the clubs and regional competitors who would use it. She thought this was especially odd, with the proximity to the airport, a metroplex of available hotels and activities, and the accessibility from other states and regions. 

So, she decided to say something about it. As part of her CAS project and as a continuation of her sophomore year personal project, Keely spent months researching the gap, networking with college coaches from SMU, UT Arlington, UT Dallas, UNT, and TCU, and building the case for why the City of Dallas needed to act, especially with the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center expansion already underway. When her research was done with all the precise details and quotes on the paper, she knew that her ideas should be shared.

In a moment of determination, Keely cold-emailed her piece to the editor of the Dallas Morning News as a letter to the editor. To her excitement, they published it as a full op-ed piece. Not to mention, the Dallas Morning News waited for the perfect moment, as the City of Dallas was actively reviewing bonds and budgets at the time.

The difference between indoor and outdoor tracks may only be known to those who routinely run on them, but everything from the recoil from the ground and the slope of the track itself to the exposure to the elements creates a stark difference in experience and endurance. Keely knows what it means to train outdoors in unpredictable weather and to compete without the controlled environment an indoor track provides, and through the research, she found coaches and athletes across the region who felt the same way.

That sense of being seen and of helping others feel seen is what she carried away from the experience. It's also a near-perfect example of what the IB's CAS framework is designed to produce: a student who identifies something real, does the work to understand it deeply, and finds the courage to put her name on it in public.

Keely's desire for change was not just an assignment. It was not just a letter grade to earn or a box to check. It was a project born from passion and perseverance, with the intention of improving the city around her — one race at a time.