Shaina Marie Rubino received her bachelor's degree from New York University on May 13, where she graduated with honors. She is a 2006 graduate of and class valedictorian of Panther Valley High School.

During her four years of undergraduate work at NYU, she majored in romance languages and minored in chemistry.Rubino studied in Paris, France for a semester and did volunteer work in several hospitals, both in France and in New York.She co-chairs the Sponsorship Committee for Global Goodness, a non-profit organization that supports child literacy in Ghana. She helped collect and pack 14,000 books, which were shipped to Ghana via the U.S. Navy.Rubino was appointed a trustee of the organization in her senior year and was instrumental in obtaining funding for after-school programs to ensure the materials were being used effectively.Aside from her studies and volunteer work, she was a Resident Assistant at NYU for two years. She also worked on several research projects with an ophthalmic practice through the New York Eye and Ear infirmary and co-authored two papers and three convention presentations.Rubino is the daughter of Louis and Paula Rubino and the granddaughter of Henry and Rosemary Rubino, residents of Lake Hauto and Bernice Laplante of Clearwater, Fla.She will begin her pursuit of an M.D. in August at New York Medical College in Valhalla, N.Y.