[2] Shameem was born and raised in Suva, Fiji, and studied education at the University of the South Pacific.
[3] She completed a diploma in teaching English as a second language, and a PhD in applied linguistics, at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
She completed a master's degree in business administration at the University of Cumbria, England, graduating in 2019.
[1][4] Shammem worked for UNICEF in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the Sudan, and returned to Fiji in 2018.
[4] Shameem speaks Fiji Hindi and is active in preserving and revitalisting the language.