 After high school, Gago studied at Phillip Institute of Technology and the Austin Hospital where she graduated as a registered nurse, later completing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at Monash University, majoring in psychology.In 1987, Gago and her husband Peter moved to South Australia, where she worked as a nurse at Salisbury Private Hospital for two years.In 1988 Gago started working with the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) for 12 years, first as an organiser, later becoming assistant secretary and branch secretary.