After playing for a year, she was seen competing by the then sports minister and was included in the track and field camp and recruited by the Athletics Federation.

[15][16] She competed in the III Dominican Republic Youth Games winning the 100 m silver medal with a 12.70 time representing her province, Peravia.

[19][20] She helped the Southern Region of the Dominican Republic to win the Relay, Jump and Throw Festival when she was part of the 4 x 100 meters that won the tournament's bronze medal.

[24] In Cali, Colombia, Paulino participated in the Valle Oro Puro Grand Prix, having finished in the sixth place of the 200 m with 24.15.

[27] Praised by the president of the national federation for her physical conditions and mentioned among a group a talented young athletes who were projected to be the future of athletics in the country,[28] she participated in the Dominican Republic Military games, winning the 100 m silver medal with an 11.63 time, bronze in 400 m with a 56.30 and winning the gold medals in 4 x 100m (40.39) and 4 x 100m Relays (3:40.96).

[29] Paulino settled with the silver medal when the three times Olympic athlete, Mariely Sánchez defeat her in the National Championships' 100 m finals.

[30] At the Ximena Restrepo International Grand Prix held in Medellín, Colombia, she took part in the 100 m finishing in sixth place with 11.67 and had 23.78 in 200 m to win the bronze medal.

[32][33][34] Later that year, she represented the Dominican Republic at the Summer Universiade in the 200 metres where she timed 24.13 finishing 13rd in the heats[35] and 23.95 ranking 11 in the semifinals but did not make it to the finals.

[40][41] Preparing tour the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games,[42] she took part at the Villanova Invitational at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, New York where she set a new 200 m national record when she won the golden medal with 23.82, beating the former record of 24.19 held by Mariely Sánchez Hichez[43] also winning silver medal in the 60 m event by clocking 7.45.

[45] Paulino traveled to Barranquilla, Colombia to the Central American and Caribbean Games where she participated in the 100 meter competition, registering 11.27 during the heats,[46] 11.39 during the semifinals and finally 11.33, ending up in fourth place.

[50] In her last participation during the games, she was part of the bronze medal team with Mariely Sánchez, Nicole de Aza and Anabel Medina in the 4 × 100 meters relay that registered 43.68.

[51][52] Paulino received an apartment from the government along with volleyball player and Central American and Caribbean Games medalist Cándida Arias in her home town of Nizao.

[53] She participated in the 2018 National Games in the 100 m as one of the main attractions,[54] and as expected, she won the gold medal with an 11.92 mark representing the Southern Region.

[65] She then headed to the Caterine Ibargüen Grand Prix held in Barranquilla, Colombia she won the golden medal in 100 m with an 11.44, as part of the Dominican Republic team tour before the Pan American Games.

[68] At the Colombian city of Cali, she took part at the Grand Prix Valle de Oro Puro, winning the 100 m gold medal with a time of 11.48 and with 23.19, she also won the 200 m.[69] She declared to be focus on winning medals at the 2019 Pan American Games, even when she confessed that she has not a good start in the 100 m and her best chances were in the 200 m.[62] During the preliminary rounds of the 100 metres she set a time of 11.84 and ranked in 14th place not qualifying for the semifinals.

[99] In her first Olympic competition, she teamed up with Lidio Andrés Feliz, Anabel Medina, Luguelín Santos and Alexander Ogando for the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay where they set a national record of 3:12.74 during the heats, with Paulino being the faster woman during that preliminary with 49.60,[100] before setting a new national record in the finals to win the event's silver medal with 3:10.21, running her leg in 48.7 seconds.

[117][118] During the annual observance of the National Hispanic Heritage Month, she was nominated by fellow singer and songwriter Natti Natasha for television programs Good Morning America and ABC News "GMA" Inspiration List as an influential Latina.

[119][120] She won the 200 m silver medal in the 16th Annual Spring Break Classic held in Carolina, Puerto Rico, setting a new national record when she registered 22.70.

[125] Paulino won the World Championships 4×400 m relay gold medal, setting with her national team the second-fastest time ever, 3:09.82, she ran her leg in 48.47.

[142] She participated in the Central American and Caribbean Games, winning the gold medal in the 400 m with 49.95, a new meeting record and Olympic berth.

[147] When her fellow Central American and Caribbean Games champion, high jumper Marysabel Senyu,[148] went under public scrutiny, Paulino twitted asking to end discrimination of athletes for their skin color.