This was previously published in the 2026 senior issue.
As Rio Johnson dribbles his way out of Emmaus High School, he looks ahead to his future at the University of Chicago, where he plans to study economics and pursue a career in business.
Johnson is a captain on the boys soccer team, vice president of Community Outreach for Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), president of Habitat for Humanity, and a member of Envirothon, Student Athletic Leadership Team, Student Instructional Leadership Team, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and Biology Olympiad.
In FBLA, he placed fifth in the nation for “Introduction to Business Concepts,” going into his junior year, and fourth place in “Insurance and Risk Management,” going into his senior year.
Stinger: What was the most memorable part of your FBLA experience?
Johnson: I’d say going to states my sophomore year because it was my first time doing something like that, and I was with a bunch of friends. It was just a great experience to be exposed to a competition like that with so many friends of mine and pursue academic passions.
Stinger: Why do you feel like you are most likely to study a career in business?
Johnson: Because of my dad, honestly. That’s what his job was. That pushed me to do FBLA in school, and I got exposed to that whole environment.
Stinger: Which teacher do you think left the biggest impact on you, and why?
Johnson: I’d say my 10th-grade English teacher, Mrs. McFarland. Her class was super fun, calm, and engaging. She let my friends and I do our own thing, kind of interact with each other, while also still learning at our own pace, working together. She just overall created a great environment.
Stinger: What’s one quote or a message you’d share with underclassmen?
Johnson: ‘If we’re not supposed to dance, why all this music?’ It’s from a poem [“To Be Alive” by Gregory Orr].
Stinger: What impact do you think you left on Emmaus?
Johnson: Biggest thing I’d say was soccer: being able to be a role model for the underclassmen and someone they could look up to, not only on the field but also academically, as a person. Seeing what I do outside of soccer, hopefully that could be something for them to model themselves after.
