Raina grew up in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan where she learned to appreciate small pieces of land tended by neighbors. As a teenager she tended a plot at her local community garden, and worked at Brooklyn Botanic Garden Children's Garden. Raina earned a B.S. in Environmental and Forest Biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. She began work as a farmer and farm-based educator at Pennypack Farm and Education Center in Horsham, PA, and continued similar work at Mill Creek Farm in Philadelphia, PA with a focus on food justice and youth empowerment. Raina currently manages the raised bed garden program at Chester County Food Bank in Exton, PA providing support for community groups growing produce for their local food cupboards.