Eagle Era

Inside senior Chloe Dang’s drive to explore, push limits, and find meaning in the overlooked

By Iniya Prabahar 

In today’s society, teenagers are often relegated to digital spaces or heavily supervised “third spaces.” But for Chloe Dang (12), who has a restless curiosity for the unknown, the world is her playground. 

Dang is an urban explorer—someone who seeks out abandoned or hidden spaces and explores them to observe rather than disrupt. Whether it’s a decaying refinery or a makeshift swing in a sewer drain, she’s drawn to places that others don’t notice.

While urban exploration (urbex) often gets brushed off as reckless trespassing, Dang approaches it differently. “[These locations] are like a memory that’s stuck in place,” she said. “You walk in and everything is still there, frozen in time. You can imagine what happened there.” 

That sense of stepping into the untouched is what keeps her coming back. Unlike crowded, conventional spaces, urbex offers her something rarer. “You get to see things you’d never see if you just walked into a normal place,” she said. “When would I ever get the chance to do this again?” 

That pull isn’t always easy for others to understand at first. Her sister, Kristine Dang (Class of 2023), remembered being worried when she first heard about it. “At first, I thought it was kind of dangerous, and I was iffy about it,” she said. “But she seems to know how to keep herself safe, and it makes her happy.” 

Dang didn’t begin these journeys alone. Her friend Alan Chen (11) introduced her to urbex and quickly noticed how naturally she took to it. 

Dang stands by the philosophy of never turning down a new experience. “She’s a yes-man—almost always down to do something. She’s definitely found more freedom in what she does,” said Lad (Photo Credit: Chloe Dang (12)). 

“She was kind of interested [in urbex], and I’ve done it with my friends before, so we just went together one time over winter break and she enjoyed it,” said Chen. 

The same curiosity that drew her in also pushed her further than where most people were comfortable going. “Generally, Chloe doesn’t listen to anyone. She just does whatever she wants,” said Chen. “I’ll tell her not to climb something, and she’ll do exactly that. She’s a big risk-taker.” 

That mindset showed itself during a trip under the Dumbarton Bridge. While attempting to dock paddleboards in the middle of the bay to go fishing, Dang and her friends were swept into the current after a series of mishaps. Despite the danger, Dang’s instinct was to go through with their fishing plans rather than retreat. Chen said, “We were all soaked and tired, and my friend asked if we should go home, and she was like, ‘heck no—we’re staying.’” 

Dang doesn’t deny it. “We’d already been through all that,” she said. “So why leave now?” 

This all-in attitude concerns many people around her. Mimi Chang, Dang’s mother, recalled the Dumbarton incident, saying, “I was scared because it was 4 AM, it was pitch dark outside, and the water was freezing cold. I told her she’s never doing that again.” 

Yet, similar to Dang’s sister, her concern has shifted into acceptance. Instead of shutting her explorations down completely, she’s chosen a different approach. “I don’t like to restrict her too much, because if you say no all the time, kids just do the opposite. I love her doing it, but I want her to do it safely,” she said. 

Still, Dang’s decisions aren’t purely impulsive; she plans every excursion meticulously. Before stepping foot into a site, she researches its history and layout, ensures she has the right gear, and chooses her attire based on the environment. “I’m always prepared. I bring flashlights in case the area is dark, I bring shoes I don’t really care about in case they get muddy, and I choose to wear long clothing to cover up as much as possible, because in these abandoned places, you don’t know if the infrastructure’s being taken care of or if there are toxins.” 

She also relies on experience—both her own and others’. “I go with people who’ve been before,” she said. “I ask how risky it is. If there’s no entrance, I’m not breaking in. It’s not worth it.” 

For Dang, urbex is not about thrill-seeking but rather preservation and observation. “I go to explore and feed my curiosity,” she said. “Not to destroy things. It’s best to leave it how it was.” 

As a practitioner of Taekwondo, risk and danger are things Dang has been taught to anticipate and handle. Mrs. Chang sees it as a necessary precaution. “I know society thinks boys and girls are equal, but in a way, we’re just more concerned about a girl being alone,” she said. “That’s why I put her in Taekwondo, so I know she can protect herself if the situation arises.” 

Shreya Pawar (12), a friend and swim teammate, has watched Dang translate her athletic discipline into her outdoor pursuits. “In the team, she’s always pushing herself in hard situations, such as her goal to beat the record for the 50-fly,” Pawar said. “I think that translates to urbexing as well.”

Pawar admitted that seeing Dang apply that same intensity to exploring windmills and rooftops can be nerve-wracking. “From an outsider’s point of view, I think it’s dangerous. But I trust her enough that she knows what she’s doing.”

Trading the structure of the classroom for the unpredictability of the world, Dang has learned to value the moment over the plan. “Sometimes you just kind of got to go for it and see what happens,” Dang said (Photo Credit: Chloe Dang (12)).

For Dang, that trust comes from choosing to push limits without overthinking the risks. “Honestly, I don’t think about the consequences too much,” she said. “I just go, ‘You know what? Let’s do it, YOLO,’” she said.

But even that mindset isn’t as careless as it sounds. “I do think about risk a little,” she added. “But at the end of the day, I don’t want to look back and feel like I didn’t live my life.” 

That impulse that drives her to say yes, especially in moments when most people would hesitate, shows up in other parts of Dang’s life. Ms. Leonarduzzi, who coached her for 3 years, has seen that tendency to push past hesitation. “She challenges herself. Even if she feels nervous, she still goes for it,” said Ms. Leonarduzzi. 

Yet, this courageous version of Dang didn’t always exist. It’s a shift that feels especially clear to those who knew her before she got into this hobby. “If you told me she was doing all these explorations a few years ago, I would’ve been so surprised. She used to be much more reserved,” said her friend, Suhani Lad (12). “But given how she’s grown over the past 4 years, it’s not the biggest surprise anymore.” 

In an environment as high-pressure as AHS, Dang’s adventures give her a chance to take a break. “Everything feels so structured, and I feel like she’s learned to zoom out and just do what she wants,” said Lad.