Westside sixth-grader Lumi Oniyide appears on ‘Abbott Elementary’

“It’s fun, but it’s also kind of hard,” Lumi said.

Being a child actor means constant travel and long hours. One time, he was on set for eight hours until 1 a.m.

Lumi said there’s a teacher on set during his acting gigs who communicates with his school to keep him caught up with his classmates.

He’s also in the gifted program and formerly played football for Smithfield Packers Youth Sports, which runs football, track and cheerleading programs for ages 5-14. He now plays for the 11-and-under Virginia Seahawks, a Virginia Beach-based youth sports team.

“We are incredibly proud to celebrate Lumi Oniyide on his recent accomplishments,” SPYS said in a social media statement. “Lumi is a former athlete of Smithfield Packers Youth Sports, and it’s amazing to see him continue to shine and represent excellence beyond the field.”

Through his acting gigs, he’s met celebrities like Jamie Foxx and Sterling K. Brown. Among Lumi’s idols is actor and producer Michael B. Jordan, who starred in Black Panther and the Creed series.

In addition to Abbott Elementary, Lumi will make a guest appearance in Season 2 of Paradise, a thriller starring Brown that premiered on the streaming service Hulu in 2025. Season 2 will debut Feb. 23.

Despite his rise to stardom, his day-to-day life at Westside hasn’t changed that much, his mother said.

“With his friends, he’s just Lumi and he loves that,” Shante’ said. “They are always excited for him, but he’s just Lumi.”

“I try not to tell a lot of people,” said Lumi, but since his appearance on Abbott Elementary, “I can’t keep it a secret now.”

Shante, a principal at Mary T. Christian Elementary School in Hampton, and her husband, Olumide Sr., are originally from Brooklyn, New York.

“My husband is a graduate of Hampton University, so that’s how we ended up in Hampton, Virginia,” she said. “Our friend had a wedding at The Smithfield Center and we thought the area was beautiful and decided to buy our home here back in 2015.”

Shante’ said Lumi just signed with a modeling agency in New York City, State Management, and is working on several projects that will be released this year and early next year.

Lumi said he plans to pursue acting as a career once he graduates and hopes to one day star in a recurring role on a TV series.