Rio graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in the History of Art where she was a curatorial assistant at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology during her undergraduate studies. She also completed pre-program internships at Fine Arts Conservation LLC in Los Angeles, Textile Arts Conservation Studio in Long Beach, and the University of Southern California’s Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. In addition, Rio was a conservation technician at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills.