If you spend even a few minutes talking with third grader Cindy Lu, you quickly realize she has a mind full of ideas and a long list of interests. She speaks with clarity, humor, and confidence, offering small glimpses of a future that could go in any number of exciting directions.

Cindy has been at Unity Point since Pre-K, which she says feels like “pretty long ago.” She just turned nine the day before the interview and celebrated with a strawberry cake covered in strawberry icing, a perfect choice for someone who appreciates fun, colorful things. When asked her favorite color, she didn’t pick something bold. Instead, she chose white. “It goes with pretty much every color,” she said. She likes black for the same reason. Both feel clean, simple, and flexible, just like her ability to move easily between her many interests.

Cindy lives with her parents and her two sisters: Claire, a ninth grader at Carbondale Community High School, and Cathy, a second grader. She describes them as “quite annoying,” in the affectionate, teasing way siblings often do. Claire plans to become a surgeon, and Cathy hopes to become a judge. Cindy jokes that if her surgeon sister ever got arrested, she would be her lawyer, and her little sister could be the judge. She imagines the whole courtroom scenario with ease and humor, revealing a quick wit and a lively imagination.

Her parents, both teachers at SIU — one in engineering and one in architecture — have created a home full of learning and creativity. Cindy is proud of what she can do academically. “I’m very academically good,” she said matter-of-factly. Her favorite books include mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, and action stories. She recommends I Will Always Write Back as one of her current favorites. She is strong in math and science, and last year earned second place in the school spelling bee. On her report cards this year, she has received straight A’s.

But Cindy’s talents extend far beyond academics. Her older sister has taught her dance and gymnastics, skills Cindy has embraced with enthusiasm. She can do handstands, round-offs, front walkovers, back walkovers, back bends, and flips on the trampoline. “I’m really flexible,” she said, as if it were simply another fact about herself. She practices at the SIU Rec Center on Saturdays, just for fun. She enjoys gymnastics but is not interested in competing and takes swimming lessons.

One of her biggest passions is martial arts. Cindy trains in Taekwondo and an art called ChunJiDo, which blends Taekwondo and karate. She practices at Coffman’s Martial Arts in Anna on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays — and sometimes on Saturdays if a guest instructor is visiting. “I’m a pretty high level,” she said with quiet confidence. The discipline and skill required in martial arts clearly fit her personality.

Even with such a busy schedule, Cindy enjoys simple, quiet moments. She calls herself extremely social — except when she is asleep, because she sleeps a lot. On a snow day, she imagines doing homework, reading, or playing outside if it isn’t too cold. Her family doesn’t watch much television, so she spends more time reading than watching shows.

Cindy also enjoys trying new foods. She eats fried dumplings, potatoes, carrots, rice, and meat at home. She even has opinions about water. The water at her house tastes especially good because her family boils it, cools it, and stores it themselves. She mentions this with the same matter-of-fact confidence she shows when talking about books or martial arts.

When she looks ahead, Cindy sees a future full of travel. She hopes to visit Japan or somewhere in Europe. As for her career, she wants to be a lawyer because she’s good at “government stuff.” Her mix of intelligence, flexibility, humor, and kindness suggests she will be successful in whatever path she chooses.

Cindy also cares deeply about helping others. She doesn’t like to see classmates struggle. “I help them,” she said. “But I watch first, so I don’t misunderstand.” She is thoughtful and observant, a student who notices what people need before offering support.

When asked what she likes about Unity Point, her answer came quickly. “They help students progress,” she said. “They help them understand even if they don’t know it. They’re really forgiving and kind. They’re funny. They make us laugh.”

As she continues to learn, explore, and dream, it’s easy to imagine Cindy becoming exactly who she hopes to be: a leader, a helper, a thinker, and someone who brings curiosity and energy into everything she touches.