After having completed her high school education in Istanbul Ekberzade went to the United States where she received a bachelor's degree in Management from Boston University. During her studies she has worked with development projects for NGOs such as OXFAM America and has worked on two summits for the World Economic Forum. In 1992, she completed her internship in London with John F. Chown & Associates, specializing in privatization in post-communist economies. Upon graduation she continued to work with OXFAM America, first on development and implementation of fundraising projects, and later as part of the production team at the Video Unit where her team completed several educational video documentaries on sustainable development and women’s empowerment in third world countries.