A native of New York, Sr. Pietrina is a graduate of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary School (Brooklyn) and Mother Cabrini High School (Manhattan). She received a bachelor's degree in education from Cabrini College in 1975 and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from La Salle University.
Sr. Pietrina is President of the Cabrini Mission Foundation and the former Provincial of the Stella Maris (now Guadalupe) Province of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
She is an accredited representative of the Bureau of Immigration Appeals, representing clients in immigration interviews when applying for benefits.