Third grader Cerenity Brown seems to brighten the room the moment she walks in. She talks about school, family, and her future dreams with a kind of joyful enthusiasm that makes it easy to see why her classmates and teachers enjoy having her nearby.

Cerenity is in Mrs. Jordan’s class this year, and one of the first things she’ll tell you is that she absolutely loves math. She works confidently with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, but rounding is her favorite. She explains it easily, smiling as she does, like someone who is already thinking like a teacher. And that would make sense — Cerenity hopes to become a math teacher someday, a dream she shares with the same certainty most students her age reserve for their favorite color or favorite food. Cerenity is naturally curious and often has many questions, as she believes that having knowledge is important.

Speaking of favorites, Cerenity loves the color pink — specifically hot pink. Her favorite foods are strawberries and s’mores, especially the kind she once made with her mom. She loves art of all kinds: coloring, painting, and drawing. She can’t choose a favorite because she enjoys everything that allows her to create.

Cerenity lives with her mom and dad and her younger siblings: Courage, who is in Pre-K, and Cedric, who is two. Cedric shares the same name as their dad, and Cerenity mentions that proudly. Their family will soon grow again with the arrival of a new baby brother. If he happens to be born on her dad’s birthday, she says, that would make things even more special.

She and her sister Courage share a close bond. Their birthdays are two days apart — Cerenity was born on March 14, Courage on March 16 — and that closeness is one of the reasons they have always been good friends. Even though Courage was feeling sick on the day of the interview, Cerenity talked about her with warmth and concern, hoping she would feel better soon.

At home, Cerenity is a helper. She washes dishes, does chores, and keeps an eye on her younger siblings when her parents need a moment to get things done. Her dad works nights helping individuals with disabilities, something she describes with quiet pride, even though she doesn’t know all the details. Her mom plans to begin working after the family moves next year. They will remain in Carbondale, and Cerenity will continue attending Unity Point.

School is one of Cerenity’s happiest places. She has many friends and says she looks forward to coming every morning. “Me and my sister always love school,” she said. “Every time we come to school, we’re just so happy.” She knows not everyone feels that way, and she wishes they did. To her, school feels special because of the teachers, the classmates, and the way people treat each other.

Kindness matters a lot to Cerenity. Her class learned about “filling buckets,” the idea that kind actions and encouraging words lift people up, while negative behavior dips into their bucket. She explains it effortlessly: helping someone when they fall, saying something nice, or being a good friend fills a bucket. Pushing, unkind words, or refusing to help dips into one. Cerenity stays firmly on the bucket-filling side of things. “I think it’s really important to be kind,” she said.

Her interests extend beyond the classroom, too. She loves reading — especially Babysitters Club and Babysitter’s Little Sister — and she plays soccer on a local team with some Unity Point students. She also hopes to learn basketball and practices shots whenever she gets the chance.

When she imagines her future, she sees a life filled with math, art, reading, and sports. “There are lots of things I want to do,” she said with a smile, as if she could picture them all at once. If she could make one change at school, she would make half days longer — maybe even add weekends — so she could read more books. Her love of learning is that strong.

When asked what she wants people to know about Unity Point, Cerenity summed it up simply and honestly: “It’s really cool how there are lots of teachers and really cool stuff. I really love how I get to come here.”

Through her eyes, it’s easy to see why. Unity Point is a place that celebrates curiosity, kindness, and joy — qualities that shine in students like Cerenity, who brighten the school every time they walk through the door.