Emilie Johnson

A sweet, bright, colorful girl— this is often the way senior Emily Johnson is described. “What makes Emily unique is her personality. She is kind of like funfetti cake,” said Riley Johnson, her older sister and 2008 East alumni. “If you look at a funfetti cake it looks like your average cake with frosting and whatnot, but when you dig a little deeper and get to know the cake better, it is full of color and fun!! And of course her adorable freckles!”

Although her self-proclaimed weaknesses are shyness and forgetfulness, Emily puts herself out there and always works hard. “She works so hard on everything that she gets involved. She is always busy working on some new thing and doing a good job at it!” said Riley Johnson.

A member of Exec Board, East girls’ tennis team, A Capella choir and Key Club, she loves being involved and often gets others involved, too. Emily finds fun in the creative aspects of assembly productions and dances, as well. “It’s fun to watch it come together and work on it,” said Emily. “It feels good when people say they liked a dance or assembly, because I helped do it. Plus, dances are just always fun!”

Her friends can’t help but notice her kind and inclusive character. “She is a great friend and cares about including everyone,” said senior Marian Lund. “She isn't just friends with one group she is friends with all sorts of different people and includes them all in her life.”

Emily is a very perceptive girl; her bright eyes look to others far more often than to herself. “I try to be nice to everyone,” she said of what she feels is one of her strengths, along with being organized and friendly. “I’m good at observing people and knowing whether they’re comfortable or not in everyday situations.”

Her intuitive nature has led her to a unique hidden talent. “Sometimes I think I’m psychic. I know it’s not real, but sometimes I have random psychic abilities,” said Emily. “I know when things are going to happen, or what people are going to say. I just get feelings about things; I like to think up different scenarios. I day dream a lot.”

Emily’s care for others extends to all, but especially to children. Last summer she spent three days a week working as a nanny; she holds a great tenderness for her two cousins, one baby and one three year-old. “I love kids. They’re so cute and really fun,” said Emily. “They can do whatever they want because they’re little; you can do whatever you want around them because they won’t judge you.”

As a child, herself, Emily recalls time with her babysitters as some of her most fun memories. “Whenever my babysitters came, we played fun games like ‘Statue Maker.’ You picked something to be and the statue maker came and spun you around. You’d say ‘pepper, salt, or paprika’ for ‘slow, medium, or fast,’” said Emily. “Then a customer came and tapped the statue they liked the best on the head. Then everyone would rotate roles.”

“When I was little I used to go over to Emily’s house all the time. There was always something fun to do,” said senior Joe Benning. “We would play on the play fort or play ‘Statue.’ Emily is just fun to be with, and she can always make you laugh.”

While working with both children and peers, Emily uses her imagination to make for many fun and happy moments. From creating games to play on the trampoline with the kids she babysits to making her friends laugh, Emily easily conjures smiles and good times.

With all the giggles and goofy moments, her friends and family sometimes find it difficult to choose just one favorite memory. “Since Emily is my sister, I have known her for quite a while now, it’s hard to pick one memory,” said Riley Johnson. “I think it would be all the times that Emily and I have been bored out of our minds at something and she always manages to make it entertaining somehow. Even if it’s a little inappropriate, she is the girl laughing in church or at a very quiet and inopportune moment.”

Others appreciate her sparkling, often silly temperament in present time and those of nostalgia. “One time we were at Emily's house and really bored, so we decided to have a dance party. We busted out a disco ball, some hot outfits, and a little Sean Paul,” said senior Alex Van Loh, a close friend of Emily’s. “It was so much fun; I don't think I’ve ever laughed harder.”

“This one time, I was able to convince her [that] zombies were real,” said Benning. “We still joke about it today.”

Although she may seem shy at first, once she comes out of her shell, her friends say she is both “chipper” and “jovial.” “Emily is Hilarious! She may seem like a quite, mild-mannered girl to some, but the Emily I know is far from that!” said Lund. “She always says or does something that makes me laugh. She can make me smile even when I'm in one of the worst moods!”

Smiling, staying positive, setting new goals, and daydreaming keep her spirits high. All around her benefit from this. “Emily has the most infectious smile ever,” said Van Loh, “People always say so.

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