Shaw was born and raised in southeast Texas, where he spent time volunteering with a local youth arts program and helped coordinate summer youth activities. After earning a BA in History with a certificate in Global Studies from Lamar University, Shaw became a public school teacher. This rewarding work brought along with it various encounters with parents, students, and community members, which inspired Shaw to pursue policy studies at the LBJ School in order to more greatly impact the trajectory of the lives of his students.