Redshirt freshman Abdul-Karim Gassama doesn't have to look very far for motivation when he straps on the pads.

His roots can be traced back to Sierra Leone, a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. Growing up, he and his family endured a devastating civil war which lasted from 1991-2002, enveloping the country while leaving roughly 50,000 civilians dead.

"Everything that I do know is from the memories that my mom has been telling us," Gassama says of his early years.

"For her, especially when she had me and she had my brothers, we were going village to village just kind of running away from the war that was going on. Rebels were coming in and they were attacking the villages, so for us we were always on the move."

Thankfully, when Gassama was four years old he and his family were able to move to Canada as refugees. He's grateful every day for the life he's living but doesn't forget about his past.

"I always say it's a blessing to be here at the end of it. It was devastating. Sierra Leone, now we're in a better place, it's a lot more stable and isn't how it was before, but knowing where I come from, it's not too hard to look for incentive in life."

The slotback for the Manitoba Bisons admits that when he first moved to Canada there was a culture shock. But being the extrovert that he is, it didn't take long for him to settle and make friends.

"For me, I think mingling with people was probably the biggest thing because you're so into this one culture and I'm so used to the way we talk back home, so I think the biggest thing was interacting with people.

I still remember just talking with others, and I did kind of feel left out because the school I went to there weren't many black people, so I was a little bit left out. But I was quick to make friends. It's just my personality, I'm always willing to go talk to people because I understand not everyone gets that chance to always be with people."

Gassama's roots in football began at the community level in grade five with Fort Garry. A basketball and track athlete previously, he took an interest in the gridiron due to a number of his friends already playing the sport.

His desire to shift from a basketball to the pigskin didn't sit well with his mom at first, but she eventually came around.

"My mom didn't want me to play actually. She was scared saying 'my baby is going to get hurt, it's dangerous I see these guys getting hurt all the time.' But [my parents] saw that I had the passion for it and my dad said 'if you want to try it just make sure you're actually going to go through with it.' In fifth grade I went and signed up and from there it's been history."

A jack of all trades, Gassama played safety, corner, running back and quarterback during his career before finally settling in at receiver for his high school days with Vincent Massey Collegiate.

A member of the varsity team from grade ten onwards, his speed was a key reason why the Trojans were able to capture their first-ever Division 1 title in 2015.

"I wasn't always the biggest guy, but I realized with what I have to make the best of it. With my speed, you might be able to lay a lick on me but if you can't touch me and can't keep up with me it doesn't matter what you do."

Gassama's decision to play for Manitoba starting in 2017 wasn't a difficult decision. He'd had a close relationship with Bisons head coach Brian Dobie ever since his sophomore season at Massey and wanted to stay close to his parents.

Right away, he knew what his speciality at the university level would be.

"Coming into this program obviously I had stars like [Edmonton Eskimos receiver] Shai [Ross] ahead of me and [Dylan] Shooter [Schrot], [Stephen] Ugbah and Jesse Walker. With those dudes, I had to find what my niche was and it was like hey, you've got to use that speed."

As Gassama prepped for his second year with the program in 2018, optimism was high. Already one of the team's fastest players he was primed for a breakout campaign. But his momentum was derailed after suffering a torn ACL that required surgery.

Instead of getting down on himself though, he reset, pushing his body to new limits while also returning to Sierra Leone in order to gain further perspective and motivation about where he came from. The time away paid dividends, as Gassama returned to the field in 2019 and has been a steady force as a starting slotback.

"My parents have always taught us our culture and remembering where we came from. My mom always says, 'if you don't know where you're going, know where you came from.' I hear that every day, but really going back and knowing where I am and where I come from was amazing.

I think it really propelled me to where I am now. Spending time and being by myself and pushing my body to different limits gave me that resilience and belief that you can do anything if you work hard and are consistent with it."