Shuster-Eliassi participated in national service instead of serving in the army, then went to study acting at the New York Film Academy for a year.[1] She played a part in Talya Lavie's 2006 short film "The Substitute" before attending Brandeis University on a scholarship.[3] Through an internship with Women's Equity in Access to Care & Treatment (WE ACT), she went to Rwanda to help women get medical treatment.[3]