The Salisbury Post is your official guide for 2025’s People to Watch. This 10-part series is taking a look at local figures with a big year on the horizon. 

Today’s feature takes a look at Eljay Johsnon, also known as Yeddi Lino, a parks and recreation aid with the city of Salisbury who has an extensive background in social advocacy, entertainment and media production. 

The name Eljay serves as an homage to Lino’s father, Lewis Johnson, but his father did not want to name his son Junior. 

“He wanted me to forge my own path,” Lino said on Monday.

As Eljay, Lino has been able to chart his own life, carving out a space for himself in this world, while allowing him to always remember where he comes from. 

Today, Lino works with the Salisbury Parks and Recreation Department, but he’s worn a few hats on his pathway to that role. 

He grew up in the nation’s capital, and like many people discovered Salisbury as an educational destination. His off-to-school story differs from conventional re-tellings of that age-old tale, however. 

In 2009, he was accepted into Livingstone College. It was right around the time that his mother died.  

“I was not planning on college after my mother passed away,” Lino said. 

His brother was not having it. 

“He loaded up the car, we took the six-hour ride to Salisbury and just said that we would figure it out,” Lino said. “For me to be the first person with an opportunity to go to college, my brother really encouraged me.”

Over the next few years, Lino’s life changed dramatically. He stopped going to school, returned to Washington and began pulling extra shifts at UPS. An effort to re-enroll at Livingstone was derailed by a medical setback. 

Not long after that, Lino found out that he and his then-girlfriend, now-wife Bria, were expecting, so his focus shifted to fatherhood and creating a role model for his newborn son Bryson.

“I have been in Salisbury ever since 2015,” Lino said. “When Bria graduated from Livingstone, I decided to come down here and chase my dreams.”

He found a camera at a local pawn shop and started taking photographs on the yard at Livingstone. He became a radio host on WLJZ 107.1 and a social media manager for the college. 

Unfortunately, as Lino described, the demands of the job conflicted with him being a father to Bryson, so he stepped away from that role and became a social media director for Vibes Art Incubator with Sabrina Harris. Then he started working with Konnected Entertainment and Wellness Center. 

“We were bringing a lot of big acts to the area and it was a safe haven for the kids,” Lino said.

After the center left Spencer, Lino joined forces with Charial Dye who was running Queens in Training and from that Kings in Training was born. In the process, Lino developed a passion for working with area youth which has segued into his latest program BOYZ in the Good, an afterschool mentoring program for young men, and GIRLZ in the Good, a similar mentoring program for young women headlined by Dr. Jasmine Shaneise.

Thanks to the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Grant and the allocation of resources that it is pouring into the West End Community in Salisbury, Lino’s programs are utilizing space at the Miller Recreation Center. His programs offer young men and women opportunities for a creative outlet in a nurturing and encouraging environment.

“We landed a contract with the city of Salisbury to be able to have our program as a pilot program,” Lino said. “Now, we are here and officially a part of the city of Salisbury playbook.”

Looking ahead to 2025, Lino is optimistic about launching a camp to introduce the youth he serves to modern media practices, getting them excited about production and journalism to prepare them for important future roles.

Lino has come a long way since that young boy listening to his CD player on camping trips, but he’s never forgotten to let his inner child guide his future dreams. 

1. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one record/album to listen to, what would it be and why?

It would be “The Colored Section,” by an artist named Donny. The reason I chose that album is that me and my dad would go on camping excursions when I was in Boy Scouts. The only thing I was allowed to bring were two albums. I would take a mix tape of whatever it was I was listening to at the time and then The Colored Section was always the other album. 

Anytime I get stressed out and want to get a sense of my childhood and my peace, that is my go to album. It takes me right back to the woods with my CD player.

2. If they made a movie about your life, who should the producers cast to play you?

Idris Elba

3. What is your motto/mantra/favorite saying?

“Life is never over.” That is actually what LINO stands for. No matter what we have gone through, the things that we have been through, we still have time to be the remaining legacy for ourselves and those who have passed on. You got to keep pushing.

4. Do you have a personal goal set for 2025?

My personal goal right now is to be more intentional with my direction. Last year, I built a lot of partnerships. I really want to be intentional with the partnerships that I create this year, so that way they can be beneficial to my group and also the city of Salisbury. 

5. Who is someone that you will be watching in 2025?

My son Bryson Johnson. Bryson will be 11 years old on Jan. 14. He won showstoppers Eastern Region national champion for solo dancing. He dances for Salisbury Dance Academy, has his own clothing line called Everyone is the Best and donated over 40 pieces of clothing that he personally pressed. 

I told myself that the first 10 years of his life, I wanted him to be a normal kid, but as he has gotten older, he shows love for the community and is so talented. I am really watching him to see how he hones his skillset.