Ameris Teammate Will McNeeley Honors Fallen Soldiers Through Scholarship Fund

Shyam Kandavalli, Managing Director of Core Technology & Development

Being of Indian origin, AAPI Heritage Month gives me an opportunity to reflect on heritage, cultural identity and the role of Indian community in shaping the diverse fabric of America. By recognizing and celebrating the diverse experiences and contributions of AAPI individuals, we can work toward building a more inclusive and equitable society for all. Being of Indian origin, food is an integral part of every celebration, so during this month, we try out new Asian restaurants in the area and I also tend to read a book from an author of Indian origin.

Connie Sultani, Business Banking Treasury Sales Officer 

AAPI Heritage Month reminds us that we add uniqueness, cultural values, and richness in our professional lives and in our communities. Let’s celebrate America’s rich and generous immigrant history. I am honored to be part of AAPI Heritage Month and grateful to be part of a company that celebrates us. 

Franchesca Williams, Director of Third-Party Risk Management 

AAPI Heritage Month is a celebration of the amazing Asian heritage that spans 40+ countries and backgrounds across Asia. Each culture has its own traditions and AAPI Heritage Month brings opportunities to learn and understand how we are different, but also similar.  

I celebrate with my family during the month of May by attending AAPI celebrations and events within Jacksonville and supporting Asian-owned businesses by dining at their restaurants or making purchases at their businesses. 

Sandy Wozniak, Mortgage Marketing Specialist 

Being a child from a family of refugee parents and siblings, AAPI Heritage Month is always a time I use to remember and celebrate the accomplishments my family has achieved and challenges they have conquered. It’s a time for me to remember how my family escaped Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime and reflect on my family’s stories about the hardships and oppression they underwent just to get to America.  

I celebrate AAPI Heritage Month through reflection — reflecting on where my family came from, what they went through, and how much they risked and left behind. The story of my family makes me extremely proud to represent the Asian American culture and all that my family has achieved in America. 

Yung Nguyen, Regional Treasury Sales Officer 

To me, AAPI Heritage Month means all the hard work our ancestors have done is finally being recognized by what the generations after them have started to practice.  My family celebrates our heritage every day, we do not wait for the month of May to celebrate. Being together and having dinner every weekend at my mom’s house is our way of celebrating our true heritage. We are thankful for our mother who single handedly got her kids (8 of us!) to the United States when my dad passed in 1976.  My parents had a store that sold fabrics, herbals, and groceries. Each day, my mother took the cash and converted it to gold bars. During a communist raid of our house, they were not able to find a single gold bar. Guess where my mother hid the gold bars that she used to take us to America? She hid them underneath the metal frame of the front door.  What a clever lady my mother was!  Thanks to her, our family was able to come to America to have a much better life.