Jacqueline Lares-Smith was born in Panama City, Panama. At the age of eighteen she moved to Tallahassee, Florida where she obtained a Bachelors of Science Degree in Family Life and a minor in Social Work from Florida State University. In addition to her Bachelors Degree she has obtained 24 college credit hours from Saint Thomas University in Elementary Education and an Anger Management Certificate from New Hope/Anger Management, Inc. Jacqueline is currently enrolled in a Masters level course in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Jacqueline’s work history includes working as a Child Specialist at Miami
Children’s Hospital where she assisted children with terminal illnesses. After Miami Children’s Hospital she joined Achievement and Rehabilitation Center, Inc. of Sunrise, Florida where she worked with mentally challenged adults. Currently, she is employed at South Florida State Hospital where she works as a Recovery Specialist. Working in the Mental Health field for the past 11 years has given Jacqueline vast experience and insight into human behavior.