She obtained her B.A. from Rutgers University in 2000 in Political Science and Spanish, and she graduated cum laude from the Seton Hall School of Law in 2006. While in law school, Attorney Gaertner was a member of the Women's Law Forum and the International Law Society. She also participated in the Gressman Moot Court Competition and worked for the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic at Seton Hall's Center for Social Justice.