Shanda obtained her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law, where she graduated cum laude and served as an editor of the Law Review. Her undergraduate studies were completed at Hinds Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi. Shanda is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, the Mississippi Association for Justice and the Junior League of Jackson. She has also been a member of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association where she served as editor of the MDLA Quarterly for several years.