Her schools were Al Mawakeb School, Emirates International School, and Dubai American Academy. At age 13 she began taking dance lessons from a teacher based at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre Chaloub Studio, Sharmila Kamte, known as the "dancing queen" of the United Arab Emirates. Shihabi, who performed in school plays, stated that a teacher at the Dubai American School encouraged her to go into acting, and that Kamte's lessons were also influential.[1]