Personal tragedy has been the motivation behind Khadija Shaw’s journey from Jamaica to Texas, to Florida, and finally, to Knoxville.

Soccer has been the vehicle that has gotten her there.

The junior midfielder with the "infectious smile" that everyone calls “Bunny” has represented her native Jamaica on every age-group national team – including three (U-15, U-17 and U-20) at the same time when she was 14 years old.

Her size, a solid 5-foot-11, and her physicality and quickness for reading the game allowed her to have success at a young age.

"(Some) have the physicality, but not the mindset for the game. (Some) have the mindset, but not the physicality. I had both,” Shaw said.

Those attributes have helped Shaw in her first year at Tennessee after junior college stops at Navarro College in Texas and Eastern Florida State College.

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