In 2010, Shin-Ping Lao graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. Pursuing a variety of interests, she also completed minors in both botany and Spanish. Throughout her education, Shin-Ping Lao garnered widespread recognition for her determination, work ethic, and intelligence. Merit-based scholarships covered all of her academic and college-related costs at the University of Florida, including room, board, and tuition. She continued to earn distinction throughout her undergraduate studies and graduated cum laude with an overall grade point average of 3.83. A dedicated community service volunteer, Shin-Ping Lao offers her support to a variety of organizations. She helped support low-income students through their General Educational Development (GED) courses as a volunteer tutor at the Saint Francis House, Inc. in Gainesville, Florida. Across town, she assisted veterinary medicine technicians at the University of Florida’s Hofmann Equine Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with a variety of tasks. Shin-Ping Lao was equally involved in service programs designed by her school. In 2007 and 2008 she contributed to a variety of projects that used forms of artistic expression to help low-income individuals navigate mental health problems. Shin-Ping Lao has also completed a variety of professional duties in education, scientific research, agriculture, and areas of the service industry. She began her involvement in research projects the summer after her freshman year at the University of Florida, when she accepted a position with the Comparative Medicine Branch of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Through her fulltime paid position, Shin-Ping Lao was directly involved in laboratory experiments and veterinary medical procedures, and she ultimately presented the results of the research project. In many of her professional choices, Shin-Ping Lao follows her interest in organic farming.