After the death of her mother, Carter's father spent the summers working in the San Gabriel Mountains as a fire guard, giving Carter the freedom to explore her surroundings and develop an appreciation for nature.
Her graduating class consisted on 7 women, including Mary L. Bowerman.
Carter went on to pursue her master's degree with a focus in the morphology of floating liverwort.
in 1932, Carter went on to work at the University of California, Berkeley Herbarium where she began as a mounter.
Despite having officially retired, Carter continued to assist the herbarium as a Research Associate.