Friday, May 22, 2009 10:06 PM CDT
Charleston student is headed to Washington for a spell
By KENNETH LOWE, Staff Writer
CHARLESTON -- At 12, Gina Liu describes herself as “eclectic.” It is perhaps an appropriate term for the young girl from Charleston.
Besides heading up her school’s Scholastic Bowl team and studying violin, she has also proven to be one of the spellers worthy of a trip to Washington, D.C., for a shot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee title.
But, she said, she’s interested in more than just sesquipedality. For instance, she has hopes to make a career out of her fascination for deep-sea squid.
“I was thinking that maybe I could become a marine biologist when I grow up or a writer,” she said. “I like writing, and I like to think that I have more or less of a sense of grammar.”
Liu said she’s not too sure about what she wants to see in Washington, but one thing does stand out.
“I think I want to go to the International Spy Museum, but that’s all I know for certain,” she said. “I’m kind of interested in espionage — I like reading about it and learning about it.”
Liu comes from a family that values hard work. Her parents are both from China, and both now work for Eastern Illinois University. Her father, Peter Liu, coordinates the graduate program in EIU’s School of Technology. He and his wife, Susan, said they have raised Gina and her older sister in a sort of mix of Chinese and American attitudes.
“We try to combine both cultures,” he said.
The mix of cultures is evident in the Liu household, where Asian art hangs on the walls. Peter Liu said the family speaks in Mandarin sometimes.
Susan Liu said it’s about striking a balance between what she sees as the Chinese childrearing tendency (too much work) and the American (too much play).
“Right now in China, the kids study very, very hard,” Susan Liu said. “They start their day probably at 7 and finish school at 9. I think that’s too hard. We let Gina have fun, but at the same time, we want her to spend time studying.”
Her father added that they emphasize hard work, and that Gina has always had pretty good work ethic. However, their daughter is modest about her intelligence.
She shrugged when asked if she thinks of herself as “smart.”
“No ...” she thought about it for a moment. “Sometimes I think I had a pretty stupid childhood.”
Her parents chuckled.
Gina Liu said she thinks of herself as more offbeat when a lot of people her age are concerned about fitting in. She said peer pressure isn’t usually a problem for her, though.
“I do stranger things by other people’s standards, like obsess about (author J.R.R.) Tolkien and quote ‘Pride and Prejudice’ with my friends,” she said. “I’m one of those far-off people.”
klowe@herald-review.com|421-7985
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