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] In 2019, she was appointed interim director of the Fiji Higher Education Commission.[4]
Shameem speaks Fiji Hindi and is active in preserving and revitalisting the language.[2] In 2019, she published a book of poetry in Fiji Hindi, and is the only person to have written and published poetry in this language.[3]