Jordan Shaw had a rough start to life. Surrounded by gang violence, Jordan was the first male in his family to stay out of prison and have the opportunity to go to college.
In 2016, Jordan found himself homeless and sleeping in a park.
“Being homeless humbled me in a lot of ways because I’ve seen the real ugly side of the world,” he said.
He met his wife and she got pregnant with their daughter. It was then that Jordan really understood he had to do more and be better for himself and his family. He sought employment at Pilgrim’s, and the team accepted him and has held him accountable to his own goals for himself. Doors of opportunity have opened for him and he has worked his way up from an hourly team member to become a supervisor.
“I knew I wanted to be somewhere where I had real growth opportunities,” he said. He wanted to show the team that he was a hard worker, a team player and that he could motivate the people around him.
Jordan’s determination led him to accomplish great things at the plant. He was awarded Employee of the Month, and soon after, became a lead person. “To be at a job that could go from a job to a career that fast, and be around people who invest in you, it was pretty cool,” he said.
Jordan says that working at Pilgrim’s taught him discipline and transformed him into a role model for his family – the kind of man he aspired to be.
“I want to go to school, get my degree in Agriculture and Economics and continue to grow from there,” he said. “I want to prove to my kids that if you set your mind to do something you can do it, no matter what it is.”