Olga Sabina Herrera Carvajal was born in 1937 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She studied at the Colegio Normal Rita Lecumberry, following which she taught Spanish, Ecuadorian history and natural sciences in primary and high school. In 1963, she obtained a secondary school teaching certificate from the University of Guayaquil, and the following year, an undergraduate degree in botany.