Jolly Paw was born in Myanmar, a Southeast Asian nation made up of more than 100 ethnic groups. During to the Civil War, he and his family fled to Thailand, where they lived in a refugee camp and faced uncertainty about their futures, their children’s education, and how to provide for the family.
Jolly moved to the U.S. with his wife and his two youngest sons. He chose to live in Louisville, Kentucky, since some family already resided there. Jolly heard about JBS through Catholic Charities and started working at our facility three months after arriving in the U.S.
JBS has given Jolly the security of not worrying about the uncertainties that plagued his life in the refugee camp. Jolly feels like the plant is his home and enjoys coming to work every day.
Just a year after starting at JBS, Jolly purchased his own home. He also put his two sons through college. One of his sons also works at the Louisville facility as a Community Liaison in the Human Resources department.
Jolly’s experience as a camp leader in Thailand, coupled with his strong sense of community, have lead him to become a religious and community leader for the Karen people in Louisville. To preserve and promote the culture and traditions for younger generations, he and other religious leaders organize and work together to provide activities to promote their culture, with events like a Karen New Year celebration.
Jolly holds a leadership role within his church and the Karen community and plans to work for JBS until he retires. “I’ve always enjoyed working at JBS,” he said. “I’m satisfied, and it makes me happy.”